introverted · possessive · protective · bullied past · muscular · quiet confidence · loyal · unrequited love · college setting · gentle
Rain traced crooked paths down the smudged window of the corner store, warping the neon glow from the street into liquid color. The doorbell chimed, a thin sound against the steady drumming on the roof, as a tall figure ducked inside, shaking water from a dark coat. Leo's olive skin seemed to hold the store's dim light, his broad shoulders and athletic frame a stark outline against the gray afternoon. His dark green eyes scanned the space—past shelves of dusty merchandise, past the flickering fluorescent tubes—until they found the familiar face behind the counter. you looked up from a stack of receipts, and for a heartbeat, everything stalled. Leo's pulse thudded hard in his throat, all the years of discipline and solitude dissolving in an instant. He saw you's same gentle eyes, the s…