The café was quiet when Luca walked in.
Outside, the wind had picked up, stirring golden leaves across the cobblestone sidewalk and whistling softly through the narrow city streets. The bell above the café door jingled, a gentle sound that somehow cut through the low hum of conversation and clinking mugs like a warning. Time didn't exactly stop—but something in the room shifted.
Mia felt it before she saw him. A strange pressure in the air, a tightening in her chest, as if her body knew before her mind had caught up. Then her eyes found him.
And her heart stopped.
He looked just as she remembered. Maybe even more so.
Tall, lean, with that same confident, unhurried stride that made everything else feel like it was moving too fast. His dark hair was tousled in the way that always seemed effortless, like he'd just stepped out of a dream and into the world again. His presence swallowed the space around him, drawing the eye, silencing even the background music that drifted through the speakers like a ghost.
And then—his eyes.
Those piercing green eyes, sharp as ever, locked onto hers from across the room. Time didn't just slow down—it vanished. The clatter of dishes, the barista's low conversation, the wind outside—all of it faded into silence. There was only him.
There was only them.
"Mia," he said, voice smooth, low. It carried through the space like velvet over gravel—familiar, yet dangerous. She heard the faint edge of a smile in his tone before she saw it on his lips.
He stepped closer.
That smile—it was the same one that used to undo her. Soft, lopsided, and full of memories. But now it held something else too. A shadow. A secret. A promise of something Mia wasn't sure she was ready to remember.
"Mia, it's been a long time," Luca continued, his gaze never wavering. "I didn't expect to see you here."
She swallowed, trying to gather herself. Her heart was thundering in her chest, but outwardly she remained still—anchored only by the ceramic mug in her hand, still warm against her fingers.
"I didn't expect to see you either," she said, her voice quieter than she intended. Her throat was dry. Her mind ran in loops, chasing the years between them.
Luca's presence was a storm she hadn't prepared for. Her emotions cracked open like old books—dusty, forgotten, but not lost. There was still a part of her that wanted him, even now. A small, dangerous flicker in her chest that reached for the version of him that had once made her feel like the only person in the world. That part of her longed to step back into those memories—to pretend nothing had changed, to believe it had all just paused.
But the truth stood stubborn in her path: It wasn't that simple. Not anymore.
And then the door opened again.
The soft chime rang out once more, pulling her abruptly back into the present.
She turned just in time to see Ethan step into the café, brushing autumn leaves from his coat. His expression lit up the moment he spotted her—until it didn't.
His eyes shifted quickly to Luca, taking in the scene before him like a puzzle he had always expected would come back to haunt him. And in an instant, Mia saw it—the way his shoulders tensed just slightly, the flicker of something unreadable in his warm brown eyes.
He knew.
Ethan had always known, deep down, that Luca had never fully left her. Not really. Not where it mattered.
"Hey, Mia," Ethan said, his voice casual, but clipped—cooler than usual. There was an edge of restraint in it, a touch of tension, like he was holding back something he didn't want her to see.
Mia's pulse quickened.
"Ethan," she said, her words rushing out too fast. "This is Luca. We… we used to know each other."
Luca smiled—smooth, practiced, and polite. But it didn't quite reach his eyes. He extended a hand toward Ethan, every inch the calm, unshaken version of himself. "Luca," he said. "It's good to see you again, man."
Ethan stared at him for a beat too long, then took the hand reluctantly. The handshake was brief, stiff.
"Yeah, you too," Ethan replied, but there was no warmth in his voice.
The air around them grew thick, electric. Mia could almost hear the tension humming between the two men, like opposing currents clashing beneath a calm surface. She stood caught in the middle, hands gripping her coffee mug tighter now. Her gaze moved from one face to the other—both so different, yet so deeply intertwined with who she had been, who she was now.
She had always known this moment would come. Just not like this.
Luca turned back to her, his expression unreadable. "Mind if I join you?"
Before she could answer, Ethan stepped slightly closer. Protective. Grounded. But also, uncertain. He was trying to read her, to find his place in this moment that didn't seem to belong to him.
Mia hesitated. She could feel the past and present colliding inside her like a wave breaking against the shore. Saying yes would be like opening a door she had long tried to keep shut. But saying no felt just as impossible.
"Sure," she said finally, her voice tight.
Luca pulled out a chair, and for a moment, the three of them sat in awkward silence.