Second

Love me always

Second shop from the right, down a lonely street, was a coffee shop. A shop that almost no one knew existed, a shop that she knew from somewhere, but couldn't remember.

Hiding from the cold weather outside in the warm and cozy shop, she had sat down at a table beside the glass window, warming her freezing hands.

She exhaled, smiling at the cool air that swirled in the warm air, eventually fading into the surroundings.

Staring out of the window, she catches a glimpse of a lone figure walking down the street, hair stuffed under a black beanie and wearing a puffy grey windbreaker.

Something about the guy felt familiar.

He turned around, and baby blue eyes met wide-eyed browns. Gasping, she whipped her head around, face reddening in embarrassment.

The bell on the door rang, and she flinched at the loud sound, echoing through the nearly empty shop. Not only was the shop located in a deserted part of town, but winter was also in full force. Only a few people dared to venture out into the cold.

"Hey, can I sit here?"

A smooth voice echoed. Looking up, she saw the guy that she had been staring at. Stammering, she cursed inwardly before nodding.

As the guy took off his jacket and sat down, she couldn't help but really look at him. Something about the dark brown, almost black hair and the black, plain, clothes that he wore felt more like home than she could ever remember. She couldn't quite place it. He couldn't be more than twenty, yet, he held the maturity of someone older, someone more mature than their age, someone who had felt and...seen anguish and distraught. Someone who had lost someone, someone who had given up.

She recognized him, she was sure of it. She just wasn't sure from where.

"I caught you staring at me," He said, face pulling into a small smile. She frowned, pushing her hair behind her ear.

"You got me," She said, clutching her cup tighter than she needed to. "You remind me of someone,"

His smile widened. "Really? What's their name? Maybe I know them," He replied, twisting a little bracelet around his finger.

She cocked her head, squinting at the bracelet. It had a charm in the shape of a bass clef, hanging on a small, simple, hand-woven, band. Shaking her head, she looked away.

"I don't remember. It doesn't matter anyways," She muttered, ignoring the way the guy frowned. Fiddling with her own bracelet, she looked at the guy and forced her most genuine smile on.

"Nice bracelet, by the way. Where'd you get it?" She said, leaning back into her chair. Immediately, he stiffened, looking away. Furrowing her brow, she bit her lip.

"I didn't mean to offend you or anything, I'm sorry," She quickly followed up, reaching for her gloves and hat.

He leaned forward quickly, shaking his head. "No, no...it's okay," He continued, awkwardly fidgeting in his seat. "I just...haven't talked about it in awhile,"

Taking in a deep breath, he sighed. She leaned back, hands gripping the seat of her chair tightly, intrigued.

"It was a gift from my girlfriend. She's gone now, but she gave this to me the day before I was going to propose. It was the day before our fifth year anniversary," He forced out a laugh, running his hand through his hair. "When I met her, I was in a dark place. I was about to go through with my suicide attempt. She saved me and showed me what the world could be. We were so happy together," He wiped away the tears welling in his eyes and forced a weak smile.

She hesitated, not wanting to push him further, but also wanting to know what exactly happened.

"What do you mean when you say that she's gone?"

He shook his head, looking down. "She's alive," He started. "But we haven't talked in awhile. We were in a car accident. I was going to propose to her in this coffee shop, at this table. We were right outside the door to the shop, but it was snowing, and the road was icy. A car skidded and smashed into us. I wasn't hurt badly, but my girlfriend suffered a major head injury. She wasn't the same anymore, and I was told to leave her alone. I had everything I ever wanted, and it was all ripped away from me in a split second," His voice broke and he sighed. "I still have the ring with me," He said, brown eyes clouded over.

She opened her mouth to speak before quickly closing it, unsure of what to say. "I...I'm sorry to hear," She stuttered, body completely still and frozen.

The guy shrugged his shoulders. "It's not your fault," He murmured. "If anything, it's mine. I didn't take care of her, and that's on me," He looked away.

She stared at him, unmoving and silent. There was something that she couldn't place her finger on, a feeling that kept haunting her the longer she looked at him, the longer that she was in his presence.

"Have I met you before? You look familiar," She asked, unable to hold back.

He paused, looking away. "Maybe in another life," He replied, wearing his jacket and gloves. Grabbing his beanie, he shoved it on his head before standing up and making his way to the door.

Before he left, she couldn't stop herself from standing up and asking a question.

"Wait," She had said, voice wavering. "What's your name?"

He halted, hand frozen above the handle of the door. Looking back, he smiled warmly.

"My name's Ryan," He replied, before turning away.

She was left standing there, with the sound of the bell resonating through the shop and feeling emptier than she had ever felt before.