The crisp fall air carried the scent of freshly fallen leaves, mingling with the sharp aroma of coffee that hung thick in the air. Lily Turner adjusted her scarf and pushed open the door to the small café, hoping for a quiet morning alone. The café had always been her refuge, a place where she could escape the pressures of work and life with Jack.
But today, as soon as she stepped inside, she felt something shift in the atmosphere. The soft murmur of conversations, the clink of coffee cups, all of it faded into the background as she caught sight of him. Mark.
He was sitting at a table by the window, a camera resting beside him, his gaze fixed on the view outside. It had been years. Lily's heart gave an unexpected jolt, a wild, almost reckless flutter in her chest. Mark Donovan. The man who had once made her feel like she was the only person in the world. The man she had loved with everything in her, the man who had broken her heart.
She hesitated, unsure of what to do. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him, noticing how time had weathered him just as it had her. His hair was longer now, darker, falling into his eyes in that familiar, messy way. His jawline was sharper, more mature. He was the same, but different. Older. And yet, as their eyes met, it was like no time had passed at all.
"Lily?" His voice was just as she remembered—soft, yet with an edge of something wild. He smiled, a slow, easy smile that made her stomach flip.
"Mark," she managed, her voice almost a whisper. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"I could say the same." He motioned to the empty chair across from him. "Sit down. It's been ages."
Lily's heart raced. Part of her wanted to leave, to run away from the feelings that had resurfaced in an instant. But another part of her—the part she couldn't ignore—wanted to stay.
With a hesitant smile, she slid into the chair across from him. "How have you been?"
Mark leaned back in his seat, studying her for a moment. "I've been… living. You know how it is. Traveling, taking pictures, seeing the world."
"I see." She nodded, unsure of what to say next. It was strange, sitting in front of him again, so many years later. But the connection between them, the spark she thought had long extinguished, was still there, flickering in the background of her thoughts.
"Tell me about you, Lily," Mark said, his voice low. "How's life been?"
Lily hesitated, her fingers tightening around her coffee cup. "It's… fine. I'm in a stable place, I guess. Work's good. Jack and I are… good."
Mark's eyes softened, just for a second. He didn't push further, but the look he gave her told her he knew more than he let on. He always had.
For a brief moment, Lily let herself forget the years that had passed, the life she had built with Jack. She let herself remember the way Mark made her feel, the way he made her believe that love could be wild, unpredictable, and beautiful. And just like that, Lily was caught between two worlds—one of stability, and the other of passion.