stoic · protective · tall · awkward · ex-boyfriend · second chance romance · tech industry · gentleman · secret crush · modern setting
Three years of empty space collapsed into a single, breathless moment. The cafe hummed with life around them, a blur of noise and motion, but everything narrowed to the point of impact. you rose from her seat, thoughts adrift in a past she couldn't quite release, when a solid form stepped into her path at the exit. The collision was soft, startling. The man she'd bumped into was Leo. His piercing eyes, usually so guarded, flashed with naked surprise, then a deep, aching recognition. The gulf of time and silence between them evaporated instantly. He had carried her memory like a secret, and now, with her standing before him, the weight of those lost years was a tangible force. He wouldn't let the moment pass.