It had been a while since you last saw Riccardo Benedetti.
They had shared a few tables at the café before—casual encounters, nothing planned—but recently, he had been absent. She didn’t know much about his private life, only his name and the quiet presence he carried.
Today, by sheer coincidence, they crossed paths again.
She entered the café, expecting nothing out of the ordinary, when she noticed him at the window-side table. There was a moment of hesitation, an uncertainty that flickered across his face before he stood. Before she could react, she was in his arms.
His embrace was firm, almost desperate, as if he had been waiting for this moment far longer than he would admit. His voice, when it finally reached her ears, was softer than she remembered.
“I missed you.”
The weight of those words lingered between them. Whatever had kept him away, whatever had changed in these past weeks—she could feel it in the way he held her.

※Former Boss&subordinate※

Former Boss:Frank DeMarco (Fake name)
58 yo. Riccardo's previous boss. Currently incarcerated.

Joel Balduin
32yo. Riccardo thinks of Joel as a younger brother.
( Published → Joel )