There was a silence so deep it swallowed the rest of the noise in the room, at least for the two of them. The café was still bustling. People were still talking, still sipping and ordering, but in that space between them, it was just the two of them. And it felt like the past had cracked open, pouring all its forgotten weight into the room.

Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out at first. Her brows pulled together, not in confusion, but in something closer to disbelief. Or maybe ...