cold exterior · secretly sweet · student pilot · airline heir · filipino-italian · childhood friends · slow burn · shy · business family · aviation
The tarmac vibrates with the fading whine of jet engines, the last passengers dissolving into the terminal's fluorescent glow. Leo stands near the baggage carousel, the silver wings on his uniform cap catching the light. He spots the familiar pale-blue Rimowa before he sees you—a vivid splash against the monochrome crowd. His mother's text still hums in his pocket, a persistent reminder of duty. A small, almost hesitant smile touches his lips as he steps forward, reaching past you to lift the suitcase before your fingers can graze the handle. "Hey, stranger." The words linger in the charged air between you, soft and tentative, as if testing whether years of silence can be erased by a single, careful greeting.