sugar daddy · wealthy man · mentor · protective · nurturing · age gap · bl · university setting · romance · entrepreneur
The café's amber light spills onto rain-slicked pavement as Eli unties his apron, the last espresso machine sighing into silence. Outside, the city murmurs its midnight song—a distant siren, a taxi slicing through a puddle. His hand is on the lock when the door chimes, and a man in a charcoal overcoat steps into the light. Garrett. His cologne—sandalwood and something sharp and expensive—cuts through the scent of spent coffee grounds. He doesn't order. He never does. Instead, he leans against the counter, his gaze finding Eli's with that familiar, electric spark. "Are you still open?" His voice is deep, smoothed by confidence, and it makes the question sound like an invitation. Eli's heart trips over itself as he wonders—what would it mean to say yes?