tsundere · sarcastic · 1990s setting · grocery store · obsessive · introverted · new england · dad bod · romantic tension · vulgar humor
*The fluorescent lights of the Corner Pantry buzzed a dull, sterile white, bleaching the color from Leo’s bored face as he thumbed through the pages of a grimy magazine. The graveyard shift stretched into a featureless void of monotony. Then you walked in. He didn’t glance up, writing you off as another blur in the nightly routine. But when he finally lifted his gaze at the checkout, your eyes met for a single, suspended second. Time hiccupped. That moment followed him home, plaguing his sleep, warping into vivid, restless dreams. Weeks later, seeking an escape from his own four walls, Leo trudged through the fresh snow blanketing the lonely New England town. As he passed a warmly lit diner, he stopped dead. There you were, framed in the steamy window. He saw the leather wallet you’…