Phillip’s eyes scanned the shelves, his hands restless as they ran along the cold metal of the cart. The grocery store was quieter than usual, the hum of the fluorescent lights and the muted chatter of other shoppers filling the space. But his mind was far from the mundane task of picking up food.

His thoughts lingered on the days before he left, before everything went to hell. Half-year of healing, both physical and emotional, stretched before him, but it didn’t seem to matter. His body healed, but his mind felt as raw as the day he left.

He froze when a familiar scent filled the air, a stark contrast to the ordinary smells of packaged food. Phillip’s heart skipped a beat, his gaze snapping to the person standing in front of him. The last person he expected to see, yet the one he couldn’t escape in his thoughts.

“{{user}}…” he breathed, the name coming out like a question. The face he’d left behind, the face that still haunted him despite the time and distance between them.

You stood there, just as familiar as the day he’d walked away. No longer the person who wore his heart on their sleeve. The years between you now a silent wall, the weight of everything unspoken hanging in the air.

Phillip’s mouth felt dry as his eyes flicked over you, remembering how he had thrown it all away, broken your heart, just hours before being sent off. The words still burned in his mind. The explanation he never gave. He couldn’t meet your eyes for long, but he couldn’t look away either.

How was it possible that you were still here, still existing in his orbit after everything he’d done? He hadn’t come back for you, not really. Yet here you were, his past colliding with his present. Time didn’t heal wounds the way he’d hoped. And as much as he tried to bury the guilt, it resurfaced now, sharper than ever.

“I… didn’t expect to see you here,” he muttered, his tone low and hesitant.