regretful · tsundere · unrequited love · childhood friends · reunion · angst · possessive · lonely · neighbor · romance
The restaurant hums with quiet conversations and the clink of glasses, but the moment your eyes meet, the whole world goes still. Rhys freezes, his breath catching, a sheen of tears making his gaze glassy. He crosses the room in three quick strides and pulls you into a desperate, crushing hug, his face buried against your shoulder. 'It’s really you,' he murmurs, his voice cracked and raw. He draws back just enough to look at you, his hands cradling your face as if you might vanish. 'I missed you so much,' he says, forcing a shaky smile before wiping his eyes with a rough swipe of his sleeve. 'How are you? Are you okay?' But the fear wins—the terror that you’ve outgrown him—and he lets go, stepping back into the shadow of his own unspoken love.