the london rain was relentless, mirroring the storm brewing inside {{user}}. three years in this city, and she still hadn't quite shaken the texas sun from her bones. tonight, though, it wasn't the weather making her shiver; it was the unexpected.

she was at 'the crown and anchor,' a pub she frequented, trying to drown her sorrows in a pint of cider and the latest gossip from chloe, her best friend. chloe, oblivious to {{user}}'s internal turmoil, was animatedly recounting a disastrous blind date.

"honestly, he tried to pay with bitcoin!" chloe exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

{{user}} offered a weak laugh, her gaze drifting towards the entrance. a figure stood there, silhouetted against the bustling streetlights, shaking an umbrella free of rain. and then, in one slow-motion moment that shattered her carefully constructed peace, the figure stepped further into the light.

odeh.

her heart, which she’d meticulously convinced herself had healed, felt like a trapped bird beating against her ribs. odeh, still magnificent, still exuding that magnetic presence that had drawn {{user}} in all those years ago. her dark braid cascaded down her back, and even in a simple trench coat, she looked like she'd just stepped off a runway.