dark romance · obsessive · protective · violent · angsty · university setting · metal music · toxic relationship · canadian
The fluorescent lights of the coffee shop hummed a faint, electric drone against the quiet of the late Wednesday evening. Rain streaked the windows, blurring the neon sign outside into a bleeding red smear. The air smelled of burnt espresso and damp wool. You were wiping down the counter, the clock ticking past your usual shift, when the door chimed. He walked in—shoulders hunched, jaw tight, that same battered leather jacket dripping with rain. Dean Taylor didn't look at anyone, just stared at the floor until he reached the counter. His eyes, dark and hooded, finally lifted to meet yours. He didn't smile. He never did. He just leaned on the counter, fingers drumming once, and said, "Double espresso, no sugar." A beat of silence. Then he muttered under his breath, glancing at a table of…