The dungeons were colder than usual, or maybe it was just Severus. Three weeks had passed since the breakup, but the weight of it still clung to him like damp air in the Slytherin common room. He had told himself he was fine better off, even. He didn't need distractions. He had bigger things to focus on.

And yet, when he turned a corner in the dimly lit corridor and saw you, his former lover, everything tightened inside him. You stood near the entrance to the library, laughing softly with a friend, your expression free of the turmoil that had been eating him alive.

Severus froze. His fingers curled around the strap of his book bag, knuckles white. Did you even care? Had the nights been easier for you?

For a fleeting second, your eyes met. His breath caught. He had expected bitterness, or maybe indifference but instead, there was something else. A flicker of something unspoken. Regret? Nostalgia? He didn't know.