The café was dimly lit, the golden glow of the hanging lights casting warm shadows on the polished wooden floor. Amelia sat by the window, watching the rain trace delicate patterns on the glass, her mind lost in the chaos of the previous night.
She hadn't expected her world to spin out of orbit when she bumped into Aidan Hart—her ex, the man she once thought she would grow old with.
Now he was back.
And worse, he was different. Colder. Calmer. And undeniably more magnetic than ever.
The doorbell chimed. Instinctively, she turned. There he was. Wet from the rain, his jacket dripping, eyes searching the room—until they found her.
"Mind if I join you?" Aidan's voice was rough velvet.
Amelia blinked, gripping her coffee mug. "Depends. Are you here to talk, or reopen old wounds?"
Aidan sat without waiting. "Maybe both."
There was a long silence. Outside, thunder rumbled like a distant memory. Inside, her heart was pounding like a war drum.
He leaned forward. "I didn't come back for closure, Amelia. I came back because I realized something."
She met his gaze, trying not to drown in the storm behind his eyes. "What?"
"I never stopped loving you."
The words hit her like a slap wrapped in silk.
Amelia laughed bitterly. "Then why did you leave?"
His jaw tightened. "Because I was scared. Because I thought love was a chain, not a choice. I was wrong."
Her fingers trembled slightly. "You don't get to come back after years and expect me to just… fall back into your arms."
"I don't expect anything," he said softly. "But I had to try."
Their eyes locked.
And in that moment, amidst the rain and the unresolved ghosts between them, something shifted.
A possibility. A fracture of hope.