Shadows and Broken Glass

Fate's Glass

The bar hummed with a low, smoky energy. Mia, apron tied tight, moved gracefully between the patrons, her eyes scanning for empty glasses. The dim light cast shadows on the worn wooden floor, and the air smelled of whiskey and old secrets.

And then she saw him.

Killian sat at the corner booth, a half-empty glass in front of him. His eyes were the color of sunrise, and they held a quiet intensity that drew her in. Mia's heart skipped a beat as she approached, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Another round?" she asked her voice steady despite the flutter in her chest.

He smiled-a slow, knowing smile that sent warmth through her veins. "Just water", he said. "I'm waiting for someone."

Mia nodded, pouring the crystal-clear liquid into a glass. She lingered, unable to tear her gaze away from him. There was something about Killian-the way he leaned back, the curve of his lips-that made her forget the noise of the bar, the weight of her past.

"Who are you waiting for?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

He hesitated, his eyes searching hers. "Someone who wont show," he said softly. "But maybe that's a good thing."

Mia leaned in, her pulse racing. "Why?"

"Because then I get to talk to you," he replied, his fingers tracing the rim of the glass. "And that, feels like fate."

And in this dimly lit bar, amid the clinking of glasses and distant laughter, Mia felt the pull of destiny: a choice to make, a story unfolding. Killian's presence was a turning point in her life, a turning point toward something she couldn't quite name.

As she poured him another glass of water, she wondered if this meeting was not just a coincidence. His smile held a promise-a choice waiting to be made.

The dim light of The Blue Lantern wrapped around Mia and Killian as they sat in a corner booth. The air smelled of whiskey and old secrets, and the low hum of conversations blurred into a comforting backdrop. Krystie, Mia's colleague, tended the bar-a silent witness to their encounter.

Killians eyes held a calm intensity-the color of sunrise. He leaned back, his fingers tracing the rim of his glass.

Killian leaned back in the booth, his gaze unwavering. "You left the bakery," he said, his voice a low murmur. "I wanted to introduce myself, but you disappeared."

Mias pulse quickened. "I had other obligations", she replied, her eyes searching his. "But I noticed you too."

He smiled-a slow, knowing smile. "Attraction", he said, "is like destiny. It pulls us toward something we can't quite name."

They were strangers-two souls intersecting in a dimly lit bar. Mia wondered if this was destiny-the choice she'd been waiting for. But her past was a locked door, and she held the key close.

"Tell me about yourself," Killian said, his gaze unwavering. "What brings you to Willowbrook?"

She hesitated. The scars on her wrist itched-a reminder of choices made and unmade. "I work here," she said, gesturing to the bar. And that was part of the truth. "And you?"

He smiled-a slow, knowing smile. "Passing through," he said. "But some places pull you back, don't they?"

Mias pulse quickened. "Why Willowbrook?" she asked, avoiding the question of her own past.

Killian leaned in, his voice a whisper. "Because sometimes the answers we seek are hidden in the places we least expect."

Krystie approached. "Another round?" she asked, eyeing Mia and Killian.