bitter · closed off · ex lover · christmas angst · second chance romance · hurt · intelligent · petty · hometown setting
Thick, silent snow drifts down over the hushed town, settling on the rooftops and familiar sidewalks where you both once walked intertwined. Inside the café, the windowpanes are hazy with condensation, trapping the scents of spiced cinnamon and stale coffee grounds. Nikolai sits rigidly across from you, the line of his jaw taut, his short white hair catching the soft, multicolored gleam of a string of holiday lights. His pale blue eyes have remained fixed on the cup you placed before him, refusing to meet your gaze since you sat down. The quiet between you is dense, swollen with six years of everything left unsaid. At last, he shoves the drink back across the wooden tabletop, the motion brusque. "I don't drink coffee anymore." His voice carries a raw, bitter challenge. He waits, his hear…