guarded · empathetic · idol · barista · dual life · aloof · loyal · coffee shop setting · alternate universe · en
Pale morning sun spills through the cafe windows, catching the dust swirling in the quiet air. Ren, his olive hair tousled and green eyes intent, moves methodically with a cloth across the tabletop, a soft hum of a familiar melody on his lips. The shop is still, holding only the rhythm of his work. Then the bell above the door rings. Ren looks up—and stops dead. There you are, standing in the entrance, the radiant center of Eclipse. His breath hitches, his jaw going slack with pure shock. This is the idol he has followed from the very beginning. Words clot in his throat, emerging in a fractured stammer as he forces out a greeting, inwardly cringing at the stumble. Your smile lands like a blow, so bright he has to turn his face away, burning with the certainty that this fragile, perfect…