The morning after seeing Ria, Roe woke up with a strange heaviness in his chest — like someone had pressed a mark over his heart and it refused to fade.
He sat on the edge of his bed for a long time, fingers tangled in his hair, staring at the floor as if the answers were hidden in the cracks.
He tried to shake the feeling off.He told himself it was nothing.He told himself she was just a stranger.
But the more he tried to forget…the more she slipped back into his thoughts.Her face, her voice, the softness in her eyes — everything replayed like a loop he couldn't escape.
The day dragged unbearably slow.
Every minute felt too long.Every sound felt too loud.Every thought led back to her.
Roe didn't usually care about appearances, but today…he stood in front of the mirror for more than a second.
He buttoned his shirt properly.Straightened his collar.And then — for the first time in years — he actually combed his hair.
He stared at his reflection and almost laughed.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" he whispered.
But he already knew.
As evening approached, the tension in his chest only grew.He walked towards the place where he'd seen her, hands shoved into his pockets, eyes searching the shadows as if she might suddenly appear.
His heart felt ridiculous.Stupid.Hopeful.
He reached early — of course — and waited behind the wall near the old street lamp.
Minutes passed.Silence.A dog barked somewhere far away.A cold breeze swept across his neck.
He checked the time again.
Still no sign of her.
For a moment, doubt crept in.Maybe she wouldn't come.Maybe she forgot him.Maybe he had imagined that spark between them.
He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath.
"I shouldn't have followed her… I must've scared her."
He pressed his hand against his chest, trying to quiet the ache.
But then—a soft sound.Footsteps.
He opened his eyes sharply.
He saw her silhouette at a distance, standing under the dim light, looking around nervously… searching for someone.
Searching for him.
His heart literally stopped for half a second.
He stepped forward — just one step — and then froze in the shadows.
Why?Because suddenly everything felt real. Too real.Because he wasn't ready to face her with this storm inside him.
And because fate… had a strange habit of playing games with him.
He watched her for a few seconds, his breath caught in his throat.
He wanted to go to her.He wanted to call her name — even if he didn't know it yet.He wanted to stand beside her without hiding.
But something held him back.
Maybe fear.Maybe destiny's bad timing.Maybe a twist waiting to unfold.
All he knew was:
He came.He waited.He wanted her.
But he stayed in the dark…because he wasn't sure if the night was theirs yet.