The rain had been falling all afternoon. It wasn't heavy — just enough to blur the glass windows of the small café tucked in a quiet corner near the university. The world outside looked dreamy, like someone had painted it in grayscale.
Inside, Kyle Navarro sat alone by the window, nursing a cup of lukewarm caramel macchiato he barely touched. His sketchpad was open on the table, lines forming a building that didn't exist — just another dream he couldn't name.
But his eyes weren't really on the paper.
They were on the empty seat across from him.
The one that always waited for Alex Reyes.
He checked his phone again. 4:42 PM.
Alex said he'd be there by four.
Typical.
Kyle let out a soft sigh and leaned back on his chair. He should be used to this by now — waiting, wondering, pretending it didn't bother him. That's what you do when you're just the best friend. You take what's given and call it enough.
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the faint sound of rain tapping the window mix with the quiet hum of conversation around him. The warmth of the café contrasted with the cold ache in his chest.
He hated this part the most — the in-between. The almosts.
Almost seen. Almost chosen. Almost loved.
Then the bell above the café door chimed.
Kyle didn't have to look. He knew that voice too well.
"Yo! Sorry I'm late," Alex said breathlessly, rushing to the table with his hoodie soaked and his smile wide. "Man, traffic was hell. And then I forgot my umbrella. Classic me, right?"
Kyle gave a small smile, hiding the way his heart sped up just from hearing that voice. "You're always late."
"And you always wait," Alex shot back, shaking the water off his jacket and grinning like it was some kind of shared joke. "That's what I love about you."
There it was again — words said so casually, so easily.
Kyle wished he could believe they meant more.
Alex sat across from him and reached over, stealing a fry off Kyle's plate without asking. "I haven't eaten all day."
"You never eat properly," Kyle muttered, watching him closely. "You live off caffeine and instant noodles."
"Guilty," Alex said, mouth full. "You sound like my mom."
Kyle rolled his eyes. "I sound like someone who cares."
Alex paused. Their eyes met, just for a heartbeat. The kind of moment that felt heavier than it should.
"…I know," Alex said softly.
Kyle looked away first.
He hated himself for how much he wanted that moment to mean something. Every glance, every smile, every small kindness — he replayed them like a movie in his mind, convincing himself there was a different ending.
But he knew the truth.
Alex Reyes was straight.
Alex had a girlfriend. Had many girlfriends. His love life was a revolving door of pretty girls with perfect smiles and loud laughs.
And Kyle? He was just… Kyle. The quiet one. The listener. The background character in Alex's movie.
"So," Kyle said, trying to sound normal, "how's Chelsea?"
The smile on Alex's face vanished.
Kyle froze. "Did something happen?"
Alex leaned back, running a hand through his still-wet hair. "We broke up."
Just like that, something inside Kyle twisted.
He didn't know whether to feel guilty or… relieved.
"I'm sorry," he said, though his voice betrayed him.
Alex gave a humorless laugh. "Nah. It's whatever. It's been coming. We both kind of knew it wasn't working. I just didn't want to admit it."
"Why?" Kyle asked, watching him.
Alex shrugged. "I think… I just didn't want to be alone."
Kyle felt his heart drop.
And then — selfishly — he whispered, "You're not alone."
The words hung in the air between them.
Alex turned his eyes toward Kyle. Slowly. Quietly.
There was a look there — like he wanted to say something. Like he was trying to find something inside Kyle he hadn't noticed before.
"…I know," Alex said.
But he said it so softly that Kyle didn't know if it was for him or for himself.
Outside, the rain kept falling. The world stayed gray.
And Kyle, sitting there with his heart half full and his chest half aching, thought to himself:
> "I've always been here. Waiting. Watching.
But maybe I was never the one you were supposed to see."