shy · anxious · artist · secret crush · mlm · cafe setting · insecure · fidgeting · romance
The cafe lay hushed beneath a gauzy, gray morning light, a quiet so deep the soft hiss of rain against the windowpane seemed loud. The air carried the scent of dark roast and damp wool. Leo stood behind the counter, methodically wiping the same stretch of polished wood, his attention perpetually drifting to you. You were at your usual window table, turned away from the street, your fingertip tracing the warm curve of your mug. His hand crept toward the drawer where his sketchbook lived, heavy with pages no one was meant to see. Then, as he passed your table, the book slid from his grasp. It landed with a muffled thump, pages splaying open to reveal your face—sketched, studied, repeated. Leo's heart seized. He dropped to his knees, scrambling to gather the pages, his skin burning. He loo…