fate or coincidence

IN MIST OF CHAOS

"Would she… wanna have cola?"

"Yeahhh, would she wanna have cola?"

"Whattttt?"

Lawrine turned sharply, his expression twisting into something bitter—disgusted, even.

Luis, mid-sip of cola with a mouth full of fries, barely reacted. He simply chewed, swallowing thickly before offering Lawrine the can.

"Have it yourself," Lawrine muttered, voice clipped.

"Bro, why so angry?" Luis shot back, watching as Lawrine strode ahead, leaving him behind. The theater’s neon glow reflected off his retreating figure.

Luis scoffed, shaking his head. "Just ‘cause she didn’t see you? Weren’t you the one who wanted all this?" His voice dropped slightly, as if weighing his words. "To be honest… you shouldn’t have ended things like that. It hurt both sides."

Lawrine halted for half a second.

Then—"What are you even saying?" His voice was low, guarded. "Don’t go blabbering nonsense."

Luis narrowed his eyes. "Why so sarcastic, huh?"

The tension between them thickened as they made their way to the theater. Lawrine was tired—exhausted, really. He didn’t know how to process the flood of memories crashing over him, nor did he want to. But seeing her, even for a fleeting second, had done something to him.

Something he wasn’t ready to admit.
Lawrine exhaled sharply as he pushed open the heavy theater doors. The dim lighting and the scent of buttered popcorn barely registered in his mind. He was still reeling, still drowning in the words Luis had carelessly thrown at him.

To be honest… you shouldn’t have ended things like that.

His jaw clenched. What did Luis even know? What did anyone know?

The past wasn’t something you just walked back into. It wasn’t something you faced head-on without it sinking its claws into you. And yet, here he was, brushing against memories he had buried six years ago.

Luis trailed behind, still sipping his cola, oblivious to the storm in Lawrine’s head. “Hey, I say we grab the middle seats. Best view, right?”

Lawrine barely responded, his eyes scanning the rows ahead. The theater wasn’t packed, but it wasn’t empty either. He slipped into the shadows, heading toward an empty seat in the back—just far enough to disappear into the crowd.

And just as he reached for the armrest, someone else was already there.

His fingers almost brushed against theirs.

He drew back instinctively, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face, but then—

His breath caught.

The faint glow of the screen illuminated her face, her features soft yet strikingly familiar.

Lily.

he was right there.

For a moment, the years collapsed in on themselves. She wasn’t a distant memory anymore. She was real. Right in front of him.