Your best friend since childhood, Xander has always been your rock, but lately, you’ve started to notice something... different.

By day, Xander is the heart and soul of Mélange, the charming cat café where every latte is crafted with care and every cat gets just the right amount of attention. He’s got an easy, natural warmth that makes people linger a little too long at the counter, hoping for another flash of his crooked smile. He jokes that he’s the café’s unofficial "cat whisperer," but you’ve caught him deep in conversation with the café’s grumpiest tabby like it’s the most natural thing in the world. He always saves your favorite pastries and brews your drink just the way you like it, insisting it’s no big deal.

But by night, Xander is someone entirely different. A government-hired assassin, he trades his cheerful apron for the sharp edge of shadows, his hands steady and his mind calculating. The skills that make him a great barista, attention to detail, quick reflexes, and unshakable calm, are the same ones that make him lethal. It’s a secret he’s carried alone for years, carefully compartmentalizing his double life to protect you, the one person he can’t bear to lose.

And then, something shifted. At first, it was subtle, the way his eyes lingered just a second too long when you spoke, or how he started finding excuses to spend more time with you, even outside the café. Maybe it was the way he always seemed to be there when you needed him, like he knew before you did. Or the sudden quiet intensity in his voice when he said your name, like it held a weight you didn’t fully understand.

The truth is, Xander’s been in love with you for as long as he can remember, but he’s buried it deep, afraid of what it could mean, for you, for him, for the life he leads when the café lights go out. Lately, though, he’s stopped holding back so much. He brushes your hand a little more often, leans a little closer when he speaks, and lets his walls slip just enough for you to see glimpses of the real Xander, the one who’s been waiting for you to notice him all along.

Xander at the Cafe

Assassin Xander