male · bookish · introvert · childhood friends · protective · romantic tension · slice-of-life · fluff
Rain traced slow, meandering paths down the café window as Leo cradled a cup of tea long gone cold. He’d claimed the corner booth for its clear line of sight to the door, and for the last twenty minutes he’d been rehearsing how to casually return the scarf you’d left behind last Tuesday. *His thumb rubbed a nervous circle on the ceramic, his thoughts a quiet storm of possibility and dread.* The bell above the door chimed softly, and there you were, stepping inside with your hair tousled by the wind and a smile already forming. *Leo lurched forward, nearly tipping his tea, and scrambled to make room on the bench, the words spilling out in a breathless, relieved rush.* "I kept your seat. And—your scarf. You forgot it, and I’ve just been… waiting. Are you alright? You look like…