The apartment door clicked shut behind me, and I exhaled for what felt like the first time all day. My limbs ached. My mind was still spinning from what had happened at work.
I tossed my bag onto the couch and sank beside it, staring at the ceiling. The shouting, the shove, Levi's jaw catching that punch—it all replayed in my head like a scene on loop. But the moment that haunted me most was the stranger. The way he moved. The way he looked at me.
There was something about him.
I reached for the picture frame on the side table—an old photo of my family. My mother's warm smile. My younger self, tucked beside her. And then—him.
The man I hadn't seen in over a decade.
I blinked, bringing the frame closer. My eyes flicked between the photo and the memory from today.
No. It couldn't be.
But the resemblance… the sharp jawline, the intense eyes—it was too much to ignore. Could it really be him?
My phone buzzed, pulling me out of the past.
Levi.
Hey. Just checking in. You okay?
I smiled faintly and typed back.
Yeah. Thanks for earlier.
His reply came quickly.
Always. If you want to talk or just get out for a bit, I'm around.
I stared at the screen, my fingers hovering above the keyboard. Levi was steady, kind, and had always treated me with quiet care. But my heart felt like it was drifting elsewhere—toward a man I didn't even know. Or thought I didn't.
I didn't reply.
Instead, I opened social media and scrolled aimlessly. Photos of food, dogs, couples. Then something caught my eye.
A group photo. A recent post from a restaurant downtown.
And there he was.
My breath caught.
The caption read: "Back in town! Big things coming soon—welcome back, Kai!"
Kai.
That name rang like a bell in a cathedral. The same Kai who used to be my childhood neighbour. The same boy who vanished without saying goodbye. Who used to promise we'd always look out for each other.
I hadn't heard from him in over ten years.
And now he was back?
My thumb hovered over the screen, trembling. I didn't even realize I was whispering until I heard my own voice:
"Why now?"
A knock at the window made me jump. It was just the wind.
But my heart wasn't settling.
Because in one day, my world had cracked open. And I had a feeling it was only the beginning.