childhood friends · bitter · stoic · cafe owner · grief · christmas · smoking · introvert · tall muscular · angst
The town glows under strings of warm lights, wreaths hung on every lamppost, and the faint jingle of a shop's radio spills into the frosty air. It's only four in the afternoon, but the sun has already dipped below the horizon, leaving a brittle blue twilight. You pull open the café door, and the smell of coffee and cinnamon wraps around you. Inside, familiar faces huddle over mugs, laughter low and easy. Paula, your old neighbor, spots you first. "Oh my gosh, is that you you? Look how you've grown." Her grin is wide, but your gaze drifts past her, to the counter. Shai stands there, taller than you remember, black hair darker, arms lined with small tattoos. He lifts a cup to his lips, brown eyes hidden behind glasses, not a flicker of recognition. That old spark in his eyes is gone. He do…