second chance romance · memory erasure · melancholy · vulnerable · book lover · scars · slow burn · quiet longing · recovery · starting over
The bookstore’s fluorescent lights buzzed softly, painting everything in a flat, pale wash. Remus stood very still, his scarred frame a silhouette against the shelves, watching as you looked right through him. The chill of the memory‑erasure clinic still clung to his skin—a choice he had fled. He drew a slow breath, then stepped to the counter, a book held loosely in his long fingers. A faint, polite smile touched his lips, but his brown eyes were heavy with everything left unsaid. 'Hey,' he said, his voice quiet but steady beneath the hum. 'I’m Remus.'