Starter for @black-vvolf
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The sun was starting to set. It sent a wave of crimson and orange colors through the window of the cafe. The light doing little to warm the glass or Alex's spirit. He sat in a booth towards the back of the cafe. A good view of the street could be seen through the window and the front door. They had only gotten to this town this morning and it didn't feel nearly far enough from Shepherd's Glen.
The cup of coffee sitting between his hands had long since gone cold. How long had he been sitting here? He should probably return to the motel room soon. The wound in his leg was healing slowly and the burning pain simmered in the damaged muscle. He should probably be lying down.
But he just couldn't face Elle right now.
Everything was on its head right now. The hollow ache of loneliness and regret panged deep under his sternum. His shoulders hunched forward as he stared down at the napkin sitting under his coffee. The white paper torn slightly with smears of ink from one too many scribbled halos of the sun.
Alex's face scrunched up as he stared at the circles. Mouth tight in a sneer. He quickly moved the cup to cover the mark. His tongue sticking to his teeth as his mouth grew too dry. What was he thinking? They were too close, it was too soon.
If the wrong people saw that, he was a dead man.
The bell of the door rang and Alex jolted. The coffee sloshing as he jerked the mug. The cool liquid splattering over his hand. Alex too preoccupied by the figure in the doorway to care. The other seemed normal enough but there was something about how he held himself. A look in the other's eyes that Alex had seen on his parents and their church friends.
That very realization made Alex's pulse jump. He ducked his head lower and his vision wavered. Coffee-slick fingers clenching at the mug and slipping slightly. The weight of his ceremonial dagger burned in his pocket. He gripped the mug harder to keep from snatching at it.