I did not expect to see him in this city.
Briar Glen felt like a sealed chapter. A place that existed in memory but not in motion.
I was leaving the office tower late that afternoon when I saw a familiar posture across the street.
Hands in jacket pockets.
Weight slightly shifted to one leg.
Stillness that always felt patient.
Thomas.
For a moment, the city noise faded.
The traffic lights blurred.
The glass buildings around me seemed distant.
He had not changed much.
Same broad shoulders. Same steady eyes.
But he looked smaller here.
Not physically.
Contextually.
He noticed me at the same time I recognized him.
And something passed between us.
Shock.
Recognition.
Distance.
“Elena,” he said quietly when I crossed the street.
Hearing my name in his voice felt like opening
