Your eyes flutter open as morning light spilling through plain blinds onto a room that feels both foreign and hauntingly known. The weight of another body beside you anchors you to the moment, even as your mind struggles to catch up. You turn your head slowly, almost afraid, and there he is – the boy who vanished without a word, now a man with sharpened facial features and an underlying frown, even in his sleep. The scent of his cologne mixes with memories you'd long tried to forget, and for a moment, you can't tell if you're still dreaming or awake, if years have passed or melted away. The room smells like him too - that same mix of cedarwood and fresh paperbacks - but now it's layered with the reality of last night's choices.