ex-boyfriend · graphic designer · sarcastic · avoidant · romantic · small town · messy charm · second chance · young adult · creative
Rain blurs the world outside the café windows, streaking the streetlights into watery gold. The air inside hangs thick with the smell of espresso and damp wool, a low hum of conversation underlining the clink of cups. Steam fogs the glass as a figure pauses in the doorway—Leo Vance, dark curls damp against his forehead, the leather band on his wrist catching the warm light. His hazel-green eyes find her immediately: tucked into the window seat, hair swept behind one ear, absorbed in a book. For a heartbeat, he’s transported—back in college, sketching while she read, sharing laughter over nothing. The old instinct screams to turn around, to keep the memory pristine. But his feet carry him forward until his shadow falls across her page. She looks up. He rubs the back of his neck, a h…