The sound of rain tapped gently against the windows.
Kael sat alone at the small table in their apartment. A full cup of coffee sat in front of him, untouched. His fingers rested on the rim of the mug, but his eyes were on the door.
Rin stood across from him. No makeup. Hair pulled into a loose bun. She hadn't touched her drink either.
"You saw her," Rin said. Her voice didn't crack. It was steady. Controlled.
Kael nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"What did she say?"
There was a long pause. The kind that lets silence crawl in.
"She said my name like it still belonged to her."
Rin didn't move. She walked calmly to the sink, picked up a glass, rinsed it, then rinsed it again.
Her back stayed turned.
"I know I don't get to compete with a ghost," she said. "But I didn't think I'd have to compete with someone breathing."
Kael looked down. "I'm not asking you to compete."
Rin turned, arms crossed now. Not angry. Just bracing herself.
"Then what are you asking me to do?"
Kael stared at her. "…I don't know."
The rain picked up outside.
Rin walked toward the bedroom, paused at the hallway.
"If you're going to choose her," she said softly, "don't keep drinking my coffee like it's home."
She didn't wait for a response. The door clicked shut behind her.
That night, the rooftop bar was half-empty. The city lights flickered below like slow-moving fireflies. Kael sat hunched forward on the edge of a lounge seat, drink untouched in front of him.
Eli leaned back across from him, jacket unzipped, toothpick flipping between his fingers.
"You look like someone who's been asked to kill one of his hearts," Eli said, finally breaking the silence.
Kael didn't laugh. "Feels about right."
Eli poured bourbon into his glass, tilted the bottle toward Kael. Kael nodded, and Eli refilled his drink.
"She said she waited every day," Kael said. "For five years."
"Yeah," Eli said, sipping. "But you didn't know that. You moved on, man."
"I rebuilt a life out of rubble. Now the wreckage is standing at the door again."
Eli stared at the skyline for a moment. "You ever think maybe you're not supposed to rebuild what you lost—but protect what you made?"
Kael leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I don't want to hurt Rin. I owe her everything. But when Amara looked at me… it felt like I was staring at a heartbeat I thought I buried."
Eli didn't respond right away. Just looked at him for a long second.
Then he said, "Then you've got two options: stay stuck in the middle and lose both—or pick the one whose future you're willing to fight for."
Somewhere across the city, Amara sat at the hospital window, drawing.
Her hand moved slowly, sketching the outline of a man's back. He was walking away into the fog. Again. Again.
The lead of her pencil snapped.
She didn't curse. Just stared at the broken point. Set it down. Leaned back.
The door creaked open gently. A nurse—Liana—poked her head in.
"You okay?"
"I broke the lead."
"You got more?"
"No."
"I'll bring some later."
Liana lingered a second, then stepped in further.
"You want me to sit?" she asked.
Amara didn't look up. "Do you want to?"
Liana smiled and pulled a chair over. "I don't do much past nine anyway."
Back at Kael's apartment, Rin sat on the couch in silence. Tasha, her older sister, walked in with two mugs of tea.
"You look like you're about to scream into a pillow," Tasha said, handing her one.
"I'm about to," Rin replied, taking the cup.
"You still love him?"
Rin didn't hesitate. "Yeah."
"Then don't let silence decide for you."
Morning came with soft clouds and the scent of rain still in the air.
Kael's phone buzzed. A message from Amara:
Can we talk? No ghosts this time. Just us.
He stared at it for a long moment before replying.
Where?
They met at the hospital rooftop garden. It was quiet. Wind pushed gently at Amara's sweater. Her arms were crossed in front of her like she was trying to stay small.
Kael walked up. Not rushed. Not hesitant.
Just there.
"You didn't have to come," Amara said, not turning.
"I wanted to," Kael said.
She glanced at him. "Then let's not lie to each other."
They stood facing the skyline. The city looked softer in the morning.
Kael broke the silence.
"When I saw you again… it wasn't joy.
It was terror.
Because if you were alive… then all the healing I did had nowhere to go."
Amara breathed in sharply. She didn't respond right away.
"You were my peace," she said. "Even when I was screaming. I held onto you in my head because it was the only version of the world that made sense."
Kael turned toward her, slower now.
"Did he hurt you?" he asked, voice breaking slightly.
Amara looked down at her hands.
"He didn't want to hurt me. He wanted to own me.
Like I was a version of his loneliness he couldn't hold.
He made up stories about us. Said we had history. That I'd just forgotten."
Kael's fists clenched. "Why?"
"Because I smiled at him once," she whispered. "And he thought it meant I loved him."
Kael turned his back, fists trembling.
"I should've known."
"You couldn't," Amara said.
"I should've."
She stepped forward, placed a hand gently on his back.
"I screamed your name until I forgot how to speak.
But you weren't supposed to save me.
You were supposed to survive."
Kael turned slowly. Tears welled up but didn't fall.
"I never stopped loving you," he said. "But I love someone else now too."
Amara didn't look away.
"Then don't choose me out of guilt.
And don't lie to her out of habit.
You can't carry both of us in the same heart."