The chair scraped loudly against the floor.
The sound cut through the café, drawing my attention away from whatever Susan had been saying.
I looked up.
And immediately wished I hadn't.
My stomach dropped.
For a second I genuinely thought I was seeing things.
The last few weeks had been a blur of sleepless nights, fake smiles, reporters, contracts, grief, and secrets. More than once I had mistaken strangers for people I knew because my brain was running on exhaustion and caffeine.
But this wasn't exhaustion.
This wasn't a trick of my imagination.
He was real.
And he was standing right in front of me.
Of all the people I expected to see today, he wasn't one of them.
Not even close.
My grip tightened around my coffee cup as he pulled out the empty chair across from us.
He didn't ask if he could sit down.
Didn't hesitate.
Didn't seem remotely concerned that neither Susan nor I had invited him.
He simply sat.
Like he belonged here.
