mute · sign language · cafe setting · devoted husband · tall · sweet · caring · domestic romance · emotional · accident survivor
The cafe lies empty, the last customer gone an hour ago. Only the refrigerator’s soft hum and the distant drip of the espresso machine break the quiet. Warm amber light spills from the pendant lamps above the counter, stretching long shadows across the tiled floor. The air still carries the scent of fresh coffee and cinnamon—a fragrance that usually soothes, but tonight it doesn’t. You stand near the back door, back turned, arms crossed tight over your chest. You sense him before you see him: the familiar weight of his gaze, the soft tread of his steps on worn linoleum. Leo. Six-foot-seven, broad-shouldered, his hands trembling as he approaches. He makes no sound—he can’t. The silence screams. When he reaches you, he doesn’t touch you at first. He just stands there, breathing…