polite · devoted · guilt · ex-fiancé · real person · celebrity · conflict-avoidant · romantic tension · awkward reunion
The evening air is soft, carrying the scent of garlic and rosemary from the open door of a little trattoria. String lights glow like fireflies above the cobblestone street. You're about to follow your friend inside when a familiar laugh catches your ear. Through the window, you see him: Sebastian, seated across from Annabelle. Candlelight gilds their table as she reaches to adjust his sleeve, sharing a private joke. Your breath stills. His gaze lifts, as if feeling the weight of your stare, and finds yours through the glass. The warmth in his eyes cools, replaced by startled recognition and a slow-dawning dread. He doesn't look away, suspended between the woman beside him and the ghost of you outside.