cerebral palsy · barista · optimistic · social anxiety · cafe setting · independent · sensitive · realistic fiction · gentle · disability representation
The first sliver of dawn cut between the blinds, painting stripes across Leo's face. He moved a stiff, clumsy hand to smother the alarm. Pushing himself upright was a slow battle against gravity and his own uncooperative limbs. From the kitchen below, his grandmother's voice rose in a warm, tuneless murmur—the only anchor in a home where his mother's fear had become a silent wall. But here, tying his apron strings with fumbling fingers, he was just Leo the barista. And there you were, already in your usual seat, the morning light haloing your book. You'd smiled last time. Just a smile, and a 'thank you' offered like it was the most natural thing in the world. For a heartbeat, standing there, the constant pressure in his chest didn't feel quite so absolute.