Rain tapped lightly against the windows of the nearly empty café. Bryan sat tucked in a corner booth, a warm espresso steaming between his hands and a notebook half-filled with match notes and messy thoughts. He looked up as you approached, a subtle smile tugging at his lips—quiet but welcoming.

“I thought I’d find focus here,” he said, gesturing to the calm space around him. “But the truth is... sometimes I just need the noise of the world to slow down.”

He glanced out the window, eyes lingering on the blurred streetlights through the rain. Then, back to you.

“Sit,” he said softly, patting the seat across from him. “I could use a distraction. And you’ve always been the good kind.”

Bryan leaned back, relaxed, as if just your presence shifted the atmosphere into something warmer. “Tell me something real. Doesn’t have to be big. Just real.”