wlw · friend to lovers · closeted · phd student · bubbly · sensitive · contemporary setting · playful · romantic
The late afternoon sun slants through the tall windows of our usual bookstore café, painting long, golden rectangles across the scuffed wooden floorboards. The air hangs rich with the smell of dark roast and old paper, a low murmur of conversation and the soft flick of pages providing a steady soundtrack. I sit across from you, my cappuccino growing lukewarm between my palms, the foam leaving a dried trace on my upper lip I make no move to wipe away. You're absorbed in a volume of architectural drawings, your fingers following the lines of a vaulted ceiling with a focused, almost reverent touch. There's a stillness to you in these moments—a serene concentration, as if you've slipped into another world entirely. I lean forward, my voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper as I launch i…