A/N:This might or might not happened me 🫢
The café smelled like coffee and vanilla, the scent wrapping around you like a familiar embrace. You traced the rim of your cup absentmindedly, letting the soft hum of conversation blend into the background. It was just another quiet afternoon—until the bell above the door chimed.
You barely noticed at first. People came and went all the time. But then, the world around you seemed to pause.
The voice was soft, hesitant. But it cut through the air like a knife.
Your fingers tightened around your cup. That voice. You hadn’t heard it in years, but you would’ve recognized it anywhere.
Slowly, you looked up. And there he was.
He stood just a few feet away, the afternoon light casting a golden glow over him. He looked… different. His features were sharper now, more refined, the kind of beauty that made cameras fall in love with him. But his eyes—the way they flickered with something unreadable—felt achingly familiar.
You opened your mouth, but no words came out.
He took a tentative step closer, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I—wow. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
You forced a smile, though it felt wrong on your lips. “Yeah. Same.”
It was a lie. You had seen his name on billboards, on posters, on the covers of magazines. You had watched his performances from the glow of your phone screen, fingers hovering over the like button but never pressing it. He was everywhere and nowhere all at once.
And now, he was standing in front of you, real in a way that made your chest ache.
He glanced around, as if searching for something to say. “Do you… mind if I sit?”
You hesitated for a second too long, but then you nodded. “Sure.”
The chair scraped against the floor as he sat across from you. The silence between you felt heavier than it should have.
“How have you been?” he asked, voice softer now.
You shrugged, stirring your coffee even though you weren’t planning to drink it. “Good. Just… the usual.”
He huffed out a small laugh, shaking his head. “You always said that.”
Your chest tightened. You always said that. As if he still remembered the little things about you. As if those years of silence hadn’t changed everything.
“What about you?” you asked, though you already knew the answer.
He scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit you hadn’t seen in years. “Busy, I guess.”
You nodded. Of course he was. That was why he had disappeared, why the texts had slowed, why the late-night calls had turned into radio silence. He had been busy.
For years, you had tried to convince yourself that it was just that. That he hadn’t forgotten you. That he hadn’t chosen a world where you no longer fit.
But sitting here now, you weren’t sure if you still believed that.
“Why did we stop talking?” he asked suddenly.
Your breath caught in your throat.
You met his gaze, but it was hard to hold. There was something raw in his expression, something almost desperate.
You wanted to laugh. Why did we stop talking? He really didn’t know?
Or maybe he did. Maybe he just wanted you to say it out loud.
“I don’t know,” you lied, gripping your cup a little tighter. “People just… drift apart, I guess.”
He exhaled through his nose, nodding slowly. “Right.”
Outside, cars passed by, the city moving on like nothing had changed. But here, in this tiny café, time felt like it had frozen.
There was so much you could say. So much you wanted to say.
You could tell him about the nights you stayed up staring at your phone, waiting for a message that never came. You could tell him about the way your heart had shattered the first time you saw him on stage, looking like he belonged to the world—and not to you. You could tell him that even after all this time, after all the pretending, you still weren’t sure if you had ever really let him go.
But you didn’t say any of that.
Instead, you forced another smile and said, “It’s nice seeing you again.”
It was a goodbye, wrapped in polite words.
His fingers curled slightly against the table. He looked like he wanted to say something—like he was on the verge of saying something. But then, the barista called his name.
His gaze lingered on you for a second longer. Then he stood up.
You watched as he walked to the counter, as he took his cup with a small nod of thanks.
And then, just like that, he was heading for the door.
Say something. Stop him. Ask him if he ever missed you, too
You just sat there, gripping your cup like it was the only thing keeping you steady.
As the door swung open, you saw him hesitate. His fingers clenched around his cup, his head tilting slightly—like he was waiting for something.
Like he was waiting for you.
For a second, you thought he might turn around. That he might look at you with that same soft expression from all those years ago and ask you if you wanted to start over. If you wanted to try again.
He stepped outside, disappearing into the city, into the life that had taken him away from you once before.
You exhaled, staring at the empty chair across from you.
And then, you noticed it.
Something small. Left on the table.
It was a bracelet. Your bracelet. The one you had given him years ago, when you were still teenagers, when you still believed in forever. It was a little worn, a little faded, but still intact. Still something he had kept.
Your fingers trembled as you picked it up, feeling the weight of it, the memories stitched into the fabric.
Johnny had left it behind.
Or maybe—just maybe—he had left it for you.
A quiet part of you wanted to chase after him, to ask him why he still had it, why he had carried it all these years.
You just sat there, staring down at the past resting in your palm.
You had spent years telling yourself you had moved on. That you were okay.
But as you traced the worn edges of that old bracelet, you realized—
Some people aren’t meant to stay in your life.
Some people are just memories, lingering like a whisper of a song you once loved.
And maybe, just maybe, Johnny would always be the one that got away.