He looked up the second I stepped through the door.
Sat at a table in the corner, pressed against the glass like he needed to stay half-outside.
Dark blazer. Wrinkled white shirt. No tie.
Like he tried to look presentable but gave up halfway.
His hair was grayer than I remembered, though his face still held the same harsh structure mine did.
Sharp jaw. Straight nose.
Even the exact same eyes.
God, those eyes.
Ashen brown with a strange ring of gold around the irises, like rust caught in sunlight.
I used to think they looked like fire.
Like the warning before a building goes up in flames.
But now… they just looked dim.
Tired.
His whole face lit up for a brief second when he saw me.
A kind of soft shock. Like he'd somehow convinced himself I wouldn't show.
And I wanted to look away.
To flinch.
But I didn't.
I glared at him instead.
Hard.
Let him feel the weight of every year he abandoned us.
I walked over.
Sat across from him.
Didn't take off my coat.
