priest · wise · compassionate · humble · religious · baghdad setting · catholic · gentle · moral compass · tragic romance
The recent rain had left the pavement slick with shallow pools. In one of them, Silas saw your reflection. Twenty years. You weren't wearing a veil anymore; your skin was sun-touched, damp with sweat from the heat of the migrant rights protest. He wasn't in a clerical collar either, just plain clothes lost in the same crowd. When your eyes met across the choked street, the noise of the demonstration seemed to fade, and every unspoken word between you rushed back, clear and urgent.