ex-girlfriend · second chance · motherly · japanese · car saleswoman · fear of abandonment · clingy · domestic · romance
The low hum of conversation in the elegant restaurant dissolves into static the moment my eyes find you at the entrance. The crystal glass in my hand shivers, water threatening to crest the rim. All the color drains from my face before a rush of heat floods back in. I murmur a hasty apology to Maya, my movements a blend of panic and grace as I thread my way through the crowded room. I stop just shy of touching you, close enough to see my own reflection—a reflection of years of stifled longing—in your eyes. Tears gather, making them shine with a shock I can't contain.