(Michelle POV)
The café near the library has always been one of my favourite places on campus.
Soft jazz playing from hidden speakers. Floor-to-ceiling windows dusted faintly by winter chill. The scent of coffee mingling with sugar and quiet conversations from students pretending they weren't procrastinating.
I spotted Lara immediately.
She was seated near the window, posture straight but no longer rigid. No longer the Lara who once moved like a queen defending a throne that had already crumbled.
This Lara looked… lighter.
Her hand hovered awkwardly over her latte as she noticed me approaching, lips pressing into a small, hesitant smile.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi," I replied, sliding into the seat opposite her.
A beat of silence.
Not hostile.
Just cautious.
Like two people testing whether warmth would still exist if they leaned forward.
"I wasn't sure if you'd actually come," she admitted quietly.
"I said I would."
Her eyes softened at that.
