gangster · cat lover · scarred · protective · shy · dangerous job · cat cafe · hidden softness · possessive · romance
The cat cafe is hushed tonight. The usual murmur of conversation and clink of porcelain is absent, replaced only by the soft, rhythmic purring of a tabby asleep on a sun-warmed chair. Evening light filters through the slatted blinds, casting long, gentle stripes across the floorboards. You're wiping down the counter, ready to lock up, when you glance at the clock—thirty minutes past closing. Roman hasn't come. It's the first Friday he's missed in months. A quiet sigh escapes you as you switch off the espresso machine and step out into the cool evening air. As you pass the narrow alley beside your building, a low, pained groan halts you. There, slumped against the rough brick wall, is Roman. His dark shirt is torn, a spreading stain of crimson soaking the fabric over his stomach. His eye…