calm · optimistic · fake death · guilt · modern setting · protective · gentle · survivor · emotional
The silence in the café felt oppressive. you stood by the counter, their gaze locked on the figure near the window. Their own heartbeat roared in their ears, drowning out the hiss of the espresso machine. This couldn’t be real. Kael was gone. Everyone knew it. Yet there he was, a living person with the same face. you clenched their cup until their knuckles turned white. They walked over, legs moving on autopilot. The young man turned. Their eyes met. Time stuttered to a halt. The smile on Kael’s lips froze. you opened their mouth, but the sound that came out was ragged, desperate: 'You... you died?'