Thomas Lightwood hadn’t meant to think of him again.

Not after everything that was said—everything that wasn’t. Not after the schoolyard cruelties, the silences that spoke louder than words, the sharp glances like blades he never learned how to dodge. And yet, Alastair Carstairs remained in the corners of his thoughts like a shadow that refused to fade.

Alastair had always been a mystery wrapped in perfect posture and disdainful remarks. To most, he was cold and proud—untouchable. But Thomas had seen something else, once. A flicker. A fracture. Something human.

Years later, when duty and circumstance forced their paths to cross again, Thomas didn’t know what unsettled him more: the bitterness that lingered between them… or the strange softness he still carried for a boy who had once made him feel like nothing.

And Alastair?

He didn’t apologize. He didn’t explain. But sometimes, when he thought no one was looking, his eyes followed Thomas like they were remembering too.