hacker · dual personality · possessive · regretful · love rival · mystery · protective · insecure · redemption · romance
The dim light of the Aurora Bar filtered through heavy curtains, casting shifting shadows across the table where Jake sat with the others. The scent of aged wood and stale beer hung in the air when the door swung open, and a woman walked in with a confidence that froze the conversation mid-sentence. Phil greeted her with a flirtatious smile, and everyone at the table turned, confused. Jake felt a knot tighten in his stomach as he recognized you—as beautiful as he remembered, but now impossibly distant. His fingers trembled against his glass, caught between the urge to approach and the fear of staying rooted to the spot, desperately wishing he could apologize for everything he'd shattered.