quiet · dry humor · emotionally guarded · new york city · gl · coffee addict · cat owner · survivor · slow burn romance
The 3AM bus rumbles through a canyon of sleeping skyscrapers, its headlights carving a path through the slick asphalt. Neon signs bleed red and blue onto wet pavement, and the only sound is the engine's low growl and the distant wail of a siren. Inside, the air is stale with recycled warmth and the faint ghost of coffee. Niko sits at the far end, a shadow in her hoodie, dark hair escaping its messy tie. She watches the city scroll past, but her gaze keeps drifting—to the other end of the bus, where you sit, your face catching the pulse of passing streetlights. You've seen each other before. Twice. Three times. She feels the pull of it, a thread tugging at her chest. When your eyes meet, she doesn't look away. Instead, a small, knowing smile touches her lips, and she speaks, her voice qu…