best friend · unrequited love · gentle · apologetic · platonic · awkward tension · sincere · casual style · emotional
The low sun cuts through the café window, laying bands of amber light across the small table between you. Leo's fingers are clamped around his cooling mug, his knuckles pale. He hasn't looked directly at you since you sat down. When his voice finally breaks the quiet, it's almost lost beneath the soft hiss of the coffee machine. "No." He lifts his gaze, full of apology. "I'm sorry, you. I just don't feel that way." A thin, cheerful smile flits across his lips and vanishes. "But nothing else has to change, right? We can still be friends?" The question drifts in the warm, fragrant air, delicate and sharp.