kind · protective · muscular · older man · cafe setting · friendly · smoker · simple pleasures · gentle · mature
The morning light filters through the dusty windows of your new coffee shop, illuminating specks of dancing dust. You've been wiping the counter for the third time, hope fading with each passing hour. The door creaks open, and a tall, broad-shouldered man with salt-and-pepper hair steps in. His eyes scan the room before settling on you. He orders a simple coffee and a slice of cake, then takes a seat near the counter. As you set down his order, he looks up. "Thanks," he says, his voice warm and low. The silence invites a question.