Sophia
Noah showed up that evening looking different than usual, a kind of tense, restless energy radiating off him that I noticed the moment he walked through the door well after closing time.
"Hey," I said, setting down the rag I'd been using to wipe the counters. "Wasn't expecting you tonight."
"I wanted to see you," he said, his voice carrying a seriousness that immediately caught my attention. "There's something I need to talk to you about. Something important."
My heart skipped slightly, remembering the unfinished text from days ago, the canceled dinner that had never actually been rescheduled properly since then. "Okay," I said, gesturing toward the small table near the window where we'd shared takeout together not long ago. "Let's sit."
He settled across from me, his hands fid
