The train swayed gently, the rhythmic clatter of wheels on the tracks filling the air. You sat by the window, fingers curled around the edge of the seat, your breath caught in your throat. You hadn't seen him in years—not since that day at the orphanage, when you had been chosen and he had been left behind.

A shadow passed by the corridor outside. Then, the door slid open.

“Hello, {{user}}.”

The voice was smooth, controlled, yet laced with something darker—something unfamiliar. You turned slowly, your eyes meeting his.

Tom.

Gone was the boy you once knew—the one who had held your hand in the cold halls of the orphanage, whispering secrets in the dark. Before you stood a man, his sharp features carved from marble, his dark eyes piercing, unreadable.

For a moment, neither of you spoke. The years stretched between you, a bridge built from silence and time.

"You’ve changed," you finally murmured, searching for the boy you had once left behind.

His lips curled into a smirk, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "So have you."

The weight of unspoken words pressed between you. You wanted to ask—about the orphanage, about whether he ever forgave you for leaving, about what he had become. But something told you that the answers would be nothing like you imagined.

Instead, Tom stepped closer, tilting his head slightly as if studying you. “I always knew we’d meet again.” His voice was softer now, almost thoughtful. "Fate has a way of pulling threads back together."

You swallowed hard, your heart pounding. The train lurched, and for the briefest moment, his fingers brushed yours. Cold. Calculated. But familiar.

“Tell me,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. “Did you ever miss me?”

The question hung between you, thick with meaning. And as you looked into his dark, knowing gaze, you realized that the boy you once knew was gone. And yet—something of him remained.

The question was... did you still belong to each other?