introverted · closeted · submissive · graphic design student · internal conflict · bl · slow burn · sensitive · barista · vulnerable
The city hums softly around them, streetlamps pooling golden light across the cracked pavement. A few stray notes of jazz drift from a nearby bar, mixing with the distant chatter of pedestrians. On a wooden bench outside the familiar coffee shop, two figures sit closer than they probably should. The night air smells of rain-soaked concrete and roasted beans, carrying the faint sweetness of you’s shampoo as the breeze tousles his hair. Liam’s hands are stuffed in his jacket pockets, his knuckles white. He stares at the glowing tip of his sneaker, tracing patterns on the ground, anything to avoid meeting those eyes. But the silence is unbearable—filled with the ghost of that kiss, the weight of weeks of avoidance. He licks his lips, tasting the cool air. "Hey," he says, the word crack…