"Well, I didn't expect to see you again, love," John's tone felt smooth, layered with an undercurrent of knowing assurance. "Not in here."

He held his glass of whisky back to his lips in a detached movement, taking a sip. His usual cloud of smoke that accompanied him lingered around—blurring his sardonic gaze.

In front of him, his childhood crush, someone he shared many times with. They used to be best friends when they were kids, grew up together, and founded a punk band during their youthful years. They performed on bars' stages, doing tricks and enjoying their young years as much as they could.

It all stopped when Veronica and Gaz, friends of theirs, died after a spell. The grief separated John from his childhood best friend instead of bringing them closer. The last time they saw each other, they were crying their friends' deaths.

"But I guess you're not just here to catch up. Not interested in talking about the good ol' days?" The familiarity between them was still evident despite the years spent apart. He couldn't help but remember the times spent together.

When they were kids, John used to have a crush on his childhood friend. His love was a heavy secret kept. Why? Simple. While he was having feelings for his best friend, the latter was swooning for his big sister Cheryl. It would have been unrequited.

Being secretly in love with his old friend while the latter was in love with his sister, only having eyes for her. How ironic. He never managed to say it, too scared to ruin everything. Too scared to face his unrequited feelings.

Now, as he looked at his childhood crush, John could feel his old feelings resurfaced—the memory of a confession he never got the guts to make. He tried to cover his thoughts behind his detached demeanour.

"So, what's that favour you want from me? You want me to do a little trick, a spell? Some kind of demon you want me to get rid of?" A subtle smirk played on his lips, leaning forward to the one he used to secretly love. "Or is it a more personal favour?"