Reggie exhaled with a long, shaky "phhhh..." His face was growing paler by the second as if the weight of everything he was holding back had finally begun to press down on him. He brought his whiskey to his lips, took a slow, thoughtful sip, and then licked the residue from his lips, savoring the taste like it was his last drink. With a deep sigh, he closed his eyes, gathering himself, and then reopened them, his gaze distant. He seemed reluctant, as though words had escaped him.
I sat opposite him, watching his unease unfold with a strange mixture of amusement and confusion. Reggie wasn't a man who lost his composure easily, and seeing him like this was both intriguing and unsettling. A small part of me wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, but I held back, knowing there was more here
