Sam stared at the dark liquid in his cup, his fingers tightening around the ceramic. The warmth from the coffee seeped into his skin, grounding him, but it did little to quiet the storm in his chest.
"Kate was everything to me," he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Or at least, I thought she was. I trusted her, Elena. I believed everything she ever told me. And now... now I don't even know what was real anymore."
Elena remained quiet, allowing him space to find the words.
Sam let out a dry chuckle. "You know what's funny? I wasn't even looking for her. I was supposed to be at work, but something felt off today. I had this gut feeling that something wasn't right. So, I decided to check on her."
He sighed, shaking his head. "And I found her. With him."
The words tasted bitter on his tongue, like poison he was forcing himself to swallow. Elena didn't react with surprise or pity—just quiet attentiveness, as if letting him take his time to unravel.
"They looked so... comfortable together. Like it wasn't something new. Like I had been the outsider all along. I stood there, frozen, feeling like an idiot while she laughed at something he said." Sam swallowed, his throat tightening. "Just like she used to laugh with me."
Elena set her cup down and shifted slightly closer. "I'm sorry, Sam. That's a terrible way to find out."
He let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah. But what's worse is that I didn't even confront her. I just walked away. I don't even know if she saw me."
Elena tilted her head. "Why didn't you?"
"Because what's the point?" He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "She made her choice. I'd just look desperate if I begged for an explanation. And honestly? I'm not sure I even want to hear it."
Elena nodded, her gaze thoughtful. "I get it. Sometimes, explanations don't change the pain. They just... drag it out."
A silence stretched between them, filled only by the faint hum of the coffee shop's jazz music. Sam focused on the steam rising from his cup, letting the warmth of the room contrast the cold emptiness inside him.
"I feel like an idiot, though," he admitted. "Like everyone else knew except me. Maybe I should have seen the signs."
"Don't do that to yourself, Sam." Elena's voice was firm but gentle. "Loving someone isn't foolish. Trusting them isn't naive. If anything, it says more about her than it does about you."
Sam glanced at her, surprised at her certainty.
Elena smirked slightly. "I've seen a lot of people sit where you are now. You'd be surprised how often heartbreak leads them here. Some drink their bitterness away, some cry in their coffee. But the ones who make it through? They're the ones who realize they deserved better."
Sam let her words settle, rolling them over in his mind. He had spent hours feeling like a fool, but hearing her say it—hearing her remind him that he wasn't at fault—felt like a small weight lifting off his chest.
"Have you ever been through something like this?" he asked.
Elena let out a small chuckle. "Once. Though, I was the one who walked away. It wasn't betrayal, just... realization."
"Realization?"
She leaned back slightly, crossing her legs. "That we weren't right for each other. That forcing something that wasn't working wasn't love—it was just fear of being alone."
Sam considered that. "And you were okay after?"
Elena smiled. "Not right away. But eventually, yeah."
For the first time that evening, Sam felt a small sense of relief. If Elena could get through something like that, maybe he could too.
She reached for her cup again. "You know what always helped me? Distraction. Something to take my mind off the mess for a while."
"Like what?"
"Hobbies, movies, things that make you forget for a bit. What about you? What's something you love?"
Sam hesitated, then let out a quiet chuckle. "You're gonna laugh."
"Try me."
He glanced at her, then admitted, "Anime."
Elena's eyes widened slightly before she grinned. "You?"
"What? I don't look like the type?"
She laughed, shaking her head. "No, I just wasn't expecting it. What do you watch?"
Sam rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly feeling lighter. "A bit of everything. But if I had to pick favorites... maybe *Attack on Titan* or *Fullmetal Alchemist*."
Elena gasped dramatically. "You have good taste!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Wait. Don't tell me—you watch too?"
She smirked. "Of course. I grew up on *Naruto*. And don't even get me started on *Your Lie in April*—I still haven't emotionally recovered."
Sam chuckled, the tension in his chest easing. "That anime destroyed me."
"Same. I'm still bitter about it."
They continued talking, the conversation shifting from heartbreak to favorite anime series, to which ones had the best openings, and eventually to arguing over whether *One Piece* was worth the thousand-plus episodes.
For the first time that day, Sam laughed. It wasn't forced or hollow. It was real. The weight on his shoulders hadn't disappeared, but for a moment, it felt a little easier to carry.
Elena grinned at him. "See? Distraction works."
Sam nodded. "Yeah. It does."
And for the first time since the betrayal, he felt like maybe—just maybe—he would be okay.
Just as their conversation reached a comfortable lull, the soft chime of the coffee shop's door startled them both. Elena immediately stiffened, her body tensing at the sound of the approaching customer.
Sam noticed the sudden change in her demeanor. "You okay?"
Elena took a brief moment before nodding, offering him a reassuring but slightly forced smile. "Yeah, I am. I'll be back."
She stood up, brushing off her apron. "You wait here. Finish your coffee, and then let's go home together, okay?"
Sam hesitated for a moment before nodding. He liked Elena's company. And besides, he had nothing else to do.
As she walked away to tend to the customer, Sam watched her, feeling a strange warmth settle in his chest. For the first time in a long while, he wasn't drowning in loneliness. Somehow, in the quiet of the evening and the presence of someone who genuinely cared, things didn't feel as unbearable as before.