Theme song:"I Found by Amber Run"
"And I didn't know I could miss someone while they're right in front of me."
— Mira
Elian didn't speak for a full five minutes after I brought him his cappuccino. He sat by the window, phone in hand, but not looking at it—just staring outside like the world had turned mute.
I didn't ask.
Not at first.
The café was slow, unusually quiet. Maybe because of the overcast sky, or maybe London just knew it needed to hush today.
I wiped down tables, watching him from the corner of my eye. His jaw clenched like he was holding something in. That wasn't unusual, but this time it felt different. Thicker. Like grief had finally caught up with whatever he'd been running from.
When I finally sat down across from him—off shift, apron folded—I whispered,
"What happened?"
He blinked slowly. Then laughed, but it wasn't a happy one. "You ever get one of those days where everything's fine, but you feel like your world's ending anyway?"
"Yes," I said, too quickly. "More often than I should."
He didn't look surprised.
There was a pause where the only sound was the spoon clinking against his cup. Then he turned toward me fully.
"I went to the doctor today."
My heart skipped. I didn't mean it to. But something in his voice told me I should be bracing for something. Something real.
I nodded slowly. "And?"
"They want to keep me in for tests next week. I've been—passing out." His voice dropped. "I didn't tell anyone. Not even my family."
I didn't know what to say. So I didn't.
I reached across the table and placed my hand over his.
He looked at it like it was something holy.
And then, softly, like it would break him to say it louder:
"I'm scared, Mira."
There was something about strong people admitting fear. It breaks you in the gentlest way.
"You don't have to be alone in it," I whispered. "Even if you want to push everyone away. I'm still going to be here."
He looked at me for a long moment. And then—like his voice couldn't hold it back anymore—
"Why?"
The word nearly shattered me.
"Because you matter. Even if you don't believe it yet."
His eyes glistened, but no tears fell. Just that quiet, aching stillness that follows a storm.
Outside, the clouds started to move. A sliver of pale light cut across the sky. Maybe it was nothing. Or maybe the universe was giving us a moment.
And in that moment, I knew this wasn't just a chapter.
It was the beginning of a storm I wouldn't run from.