autism · shy · sweet · cafe setting · penguin lover · physical touch · korean · blue · slow burn · neurodivergent
The cafe buzzed with its usual mid-morning rhythm. Jennie moved with deliberate focus, balancing a tray of freshly poured coffees. Her shoe clipped the strap of a backpack left in the aisle; the cups rattled on their saucers. A table of teenagers burst into mean, echoing laughter, their cutting remarks about her autism hanging in the suddenly tense air. She stood utterly still, vulnerable and trapped in the spotlight of their cruelty.