Rion didn't look back when he left. Not at the club.
Not at Adrian. He just walked.
It was quiet when he got home. The kind that made everything replay whether you wanted it to or not.
The song. The crowd. Adrian's voice. That look on his face.
Rion exhaled and loosened his shirt slightly, like something was pressing against his chest. "Get over it."
It should've been that simple. It always was.
He dropped onto the couch and pulled out his phone. No expectations. Just habit. There was a message. From Adrian.
I'm sorry… please can you give me time to figure out what is going on.
Rion stared at it. Read it once. Then again. Slower.
"Time," he muttered. Of course.
He leaned back, thumb hovering over the screen. He could end it. Say something cold. Cut this off before it became something worse. That's what he usually did. No attachments. No waiting. But instead he locked the phone and tossed it aside.
Rion wasn't the type to chase. He didn't wait for people to figure themselves out. People came to him. Always had. And yet he hadn't said no.
His mind flickered briefly. To that day. To Adrian's voice. "Lion… with an R?" And the stupid username he changed right after. rionnotlion.
Rion clicked his tongue softly. Annoyed. "Forget him."
So he went out. Different club. Louder. More people. More distractions.
Attention came easily. It always did. Looks lingered. Someone smiled. Another got too close. Rion played along. Just enough. But it didn't stick.
Because his mind kept slipping.
Back to
A voice. A look. A hand grabbing his like it didn't know whether to hold on or let go.
He took a drink. Then another. Still Nothing.
"Not tonight?" someone asked.
Rion glanced at them. Normally, he'd say yes. Without thinking.
Tonight he stepped back. "Not interested." Even he felt how off that sounded.
He left early. Didn't stay long enough to be pulled into anything.
On his way home. He saw it. The café. Adrian's café.
His steps slowed. Just slightly.
The lights were off. Chairs stacked upside down on the tables. The glass reflecting nothing but the empty street behind him. Closed.
Rion stood there for a second. Longer than he should have.
He didn't move closer. Didn't touch the door. Didn't check the hours.
Just stood there, Looking at something he wasn't even supposed to care about.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered. But he didn't leave immediately.
For a second, It almost felt like if the lights were on…If the door was open…If Adrian was inside
Rion exhaled sharply and looked away. Then he walked.
Back in his apartment, the silence felt heavier. His phone lit up. Not Adrian. He didn't check. He leaned back instead, staring at the ceiling, jaw tight. He was doing everything right. Distance. Distraction. Control. But it wasn't working.
Because he wasn't chasing. He wasn't waiting. But Adrian was still there.
In small things. In quiet moments. In stupid details. Like a closed café he had no reason to stop for.
Rion dragged a hand over his face. Annoyed. Restless. Hooked.
"Just time," he muttered. Like that would make any difference.