Elias felt the brick wall he’d spent years building turn into wet sand. All the "I’m doing fine" speeches he’d practiced in the mirror vanished. In an instant, he wasn't a man who had moved on; he was the same person who had waited by the phone, hoping for a sign.

"So," she said, a small, sad smile playing on her lips. "How have you been?"

Elena stood by the counter, shaking a translucent umbrella. When she turned, her eyes scanned the room, landing on him with the weight of a thousand unspoken memories.

"I didn't think I'd be here," he replied, his heart betraying his calm exterior.

She walked over, her voice a soft tremor that cut through the low hum of the café. "I didn't think I'd see you here."