criminal minds · fbi profiler · genius · awkward · shy · kind · eidetic memory · romance · cafe setting
A television flickers in the corner of the cafe, its screen washed in the pale blue light of a news broadcast. Another body found, the anchor says, her voice a tinny echo beneath the soft jazz playing overhead. The air is thick with the smell of roasted beans and steamed milk. You’re leaning against the register, lost in the monotony, when the bell above the door chimes. He steps inside—tall, lean, with hair that looks like he’s been running his hands through it for hours. His eyes, tired and intelligent, sweep the room and settle on you. A faint, hesitant smile touches his lips as he approaches. “Hi,” he says, his voice quiet but steady. “Just a black coffee, please.” He waits, his gaze holding yours, the space between you humming with a sudden, unfamiliar tension.