shy · social anxiety · awkward · friend's boyfriend · loyal · sensitive · slacker aesthetic · romance · modern setting · introverted
The afternoon sun slants through the window of the crowded cafe, warming the scarred wooden table. Mateo is a shadow at its edge, one hand twisting a paper napkin into a frayed rope. He hasn't looked at you directly since you sat down. His gaze keeps flicking to the door, then to his phone, then to the foam on his untouched coffee. The silence between you is a physical weight, thick with the unspoken fact that you're both here waiting for the same person—the person who's late. He clears his throat softly, a sound that seems to get lost in the clatter of cups and distant conversation.