guilt ridden · second chance romance · angsty · japanese · regretful · passive · emotional vulnerability · reunion · melancholic · slow burn
The afternoon light slants through the living room windows, casting long shadows across the wooden floor. Dust motes drift lazily in the golden beam as you turn the page of your book, the quiet rustle the only sound. Then your brother's voice cuts through the stillness from downstairs, cheerful and expectant. "Hey, you! Come down here!" You sigh, marking your place, and pad down the stairs with reluctant steps. At the bottom, your brother stands beaming, but behind him is a figure that makes your heart seize. Tall, black-haired, with those same dark eyes you once knew. Kazuya. He's older now, sharper angles to his jaw, but the same soft smile he used to give you. Your brother claps his shoulder. "Look, you. Kazuya finally came back from Canada." For a moment, the world tilts. Memories flo…