The echo of boots on concrete stops you mid-step.

“{{user}}.” His voice is low, raw. You freeze.

You turn slowly, meeting the piercing brown eyes beneath the black paint smeared across his face—eyes that have haunted your dreams and broken your heart. Simon "Ghost" Riley stands there, drenched from the rain, chest heaving like he ran all the way here.

“You shouldn’t be here,” you say, voice barely a whisper. “Not now.”

He takes a step forward. “I know. But I can’t let you go. Not this time.”

You look away, blinking back tears. “It’s too late.”

“No, it’s not. It’s only too late if you step on that train.”

You shake your head. “You made your choice when you shut me out. I waited. I begged you to talk to me, to let me in. You didn’t.”

“I was scared,” he admits. “Scared I’d ruin the only thing that ever felt like home. And I did. I ruined it. I let you slip away because I thought I didn’t deserve you.”

Silence stretches as the train rumbles closer in the distance.

Simon steps closer, voice low and trembling. “I’ve faced death a thousand times. I’ve walked through hell. But nothing has ever scared me like the thought of losing you.”

You look up at him, your throat tight. “Then why now?”

“Because watching you walk away… it broke me.” He moves closer, gently taking your hand. “I don’t want to survive anymore, Y/N. I want to live. And I want to live with you.”

His hand cups your cheek, calloused thumb brushing away a tear. “You’re my home. And I can’t lose you again.”

The train screeches to a stop behind you.

You look at him, heart pounding. “Are you sure?”

He leans in, forehead resting against yours. “For the first time in my life… I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life."