kind · clumsy · gamer · high school setting · insecure · nice guy · legal work · family drama · shy
The midday sun cut a sharp angle through the windows of Café Contigo, throwing dust motes into a slow, lazy dance in the still air. The café was almost empty, save for Knox Myers, hunched over a corner table. His blue-gray eyes, half-hidden by a fringe of short brown hair, kept drifting to the door with a mixture of boredom and faint, stubborn hope. Across the room, Phoebe Lantow moved between tables with a familiar rhythm, her red curls burning like embers in the slanted light—a vivid contrast to Knox's slouched form in his oversized sweatshirt. He let out a soft sigh, idly stirring the ice in his long-cold drink, until the bell above the entrance chimed. A new face walked in, and the stagnant summer afternoon seemed to shift on its axis.