The café Sky had chosen was tucked between a thrift bookstore and a flower shop, one of those small, quiet places that smelled like cinnamon and warm nostalgia. Liam thought it was just a casual get-together—Sky had told him it was a dinner with friends. Nothing big.
But everyone knew. This night wasn't just for Liam's birthday.
It was a collision waiting to happen.
Cean arrived first, with Yesha and Mak. She wore a simple black top, hair in a low bun, and minimal makeup—the kind of effortless beauty that made people look twice. She felt nervous. Not because she expected anything from Yuan, but because some part of her still hoped.
She hated that part.
Sky met them at the entrance, all smiles and nerves. "He's not here yet," she whispered to Cean. "But he's coming."
Cean simply nodded.
-
Yuan arrived twenty minutes later, with Neo and Prudence. He looked… different. Taller, maybe. Leaner. Or maybe it was the way he carried himself now—more assured, but quieter somehow.
When he walked in, Cean felt her breath catch.
He hadn't changed his favorite color.
Still in red. A deep, dusky shade that used to look brighter when he was still hers—or maybe when she was still his.
He saw her instantly.
A pause.
A breath.
Then he gave her a nod.
Not quite a smile.
Not quite nothing.
-
Dinner was lively. Liam was happy, teasing Sky about being overly dramatic with the setup. Mak and Jer were the life of the party, singing out of tune with the café's soft background music. Neo cracked engineering jokes, which made no sense to Cean but made Yuan laugh— a sound she hadn't heard in months.
They sat on opposite ends of the table.
And yet, every few minutes, their eyes met.
Unspoken things passed between them like quiet waves under a still surface.
During the toast, Sky made a joke. "To old friends, new beginnings, and almost-love stories we never really talk about!"
Everyone laughed.
Except them.
Yuan raised his glass anyway.
Cean smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
-
After the meal, while the others were distracted taking photos, Cean slipped outside to the flower shop next door. The night air was cool, scented with jasmine and smoke from a nearby food cart. She ran her fingers over the petals of blue hydrangeas.
"Still like blue?" came a voice behind her.
She turned.
Yuan.
Leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets.
She gave a small laugh. "Still like red?"
He smiled, faintly. "Always."
Silence.
The kind that wasn't awkward, but heavy.
"I read your message," he said.
Cean looked away. "Weeks ago."
"I didn't know what to say."
"You didn't have to say anything," she said, softer now. "But saying nothing still said something."
Another pause.
Yuan stepped closer, not too close. "Do you still have yours?"
She blinked. "The ring?"
He nodded.
She pulled out her necklace.
The small silver ring still dangled from the chain.
He smiled, this time, real. "Me too."
Cean bit her lip. "So what now?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "I thought space would help me figure it out. But all it did was remind me how much I miss you."
"That's not love," she said, gently. "Missing someone."
"I know," Yuan replied. "But I think… I loved you before I even realized it. Maybe I was just scared."
She stared at him, at the boy she once talked to until dawn, who knew how to comfort others but never himself.
"I loved you too," she said. "But I can't love someone who doesn't know if they'll stay."
"I want to try," he said.
She shook her head slowly. "Trying isn't staying."
-
Back inside, the others were laughing, singing, living in a world that didn't stop for almost-love stories.
Cean and Yuan stood in the quiet outside, hearts exposed, hands inches apart.
Then Cean stepped back.
"I think we needed this," she said. "To say the words we never did."
Yuan looked at her, as if trying to memorize her again. "Maybe in another time…"
She nodded. "Maybe."
And with that, she turned, walked inside, and left behind everything she never said out loud.
Outside, Yuan whispered to himself.
"Almost."
'_'