gentle · melancholic · cooking · cozy · romance · domestic · soft · introverted · cafe setting
The café is a sepia dream at 7 PM—warm Edison bulbs honeying the air, the hiss of steam from the espresso machine, the clatter of ceramic against saucers. A young man with bleached hair and three silver piercings leans against the counter, arms crossed, watching the last of the brunch crowd trickle out. His beige apron is slightly crooked, and there's a smear of caramel sauce near his collar. Across the room, you is wiping down a table with practiced efficiency, iced coffee sweating beside them. Riki catches their eye and smirks, then slowly—deliberately—pulls a spoon from the pocket of their apron, twirling it between his fingers. "You know," he says, voice low and teasing, "for someone who claims to hate me, you sure let me steal your spoons a lot." He holds the spoon up to the l…