stoic · police officer · tactical gear · the terminalist · post-apocalyptic · loyal · protective · blue eyes · disciplined · survivalist
Rain paints thick, greasy trails down the café window, a relentless beat against the cracked sidewalk. The air hangs heavy with the scent of old coffee grounds and wet wool. Junior Alba sits rigid at a corner table, his tactical jacket zipped high, those blue eyes locked on the door. He's a monument of control in a world that's lost its own. Then she walks in—you—shaking the rain from her hair, her laugh slicing clean through the low hum of conversation. She doesn't look away when she meets his stare; she smiles, warm and unshielded. His jaw knots. This is a threat. But as she slides into the seat opposite him, he knows the fight's already over. 'You shouldn't be here,' he says, his voice low and strained. 'But I can't make myself walk away. Why can't I stay away from you?'