Callahan sat in his usual spot at Rosie’s Café, the corner table by the window, where he could watch the world go by without being part of it. Rain pouring heavily outside. His coffee, black and bitter, sat in front of him. No sugar, no cream—just the way coffee was meant to be. He took a slow sip and sighed.

The café was noisier than he liked. Too many people, too much chatter. A group of teenagers laughed loudly at a nearby table, their faces buried in their glowing screens. Across the room, some young man in a suit was having a loud conversation on his wireless earpiece, waving his hands as if that would help whoever was on the other end understand him better.

Callahan grumbled under his breath, folding his newspaper. Nobody read newspapers anymore. They got their news from little screens, scrolling endlessly like it was the most important thing in the world. He didn’t get it.

“More coffee, Mr. Callahan?” Maria, the waitress, asked with a patient smile. She had worked here for years and was one of the few people he tolerated.

He gave a single nod, pushing his cup forward. She refilled it without asking anything else, which was why he liked her. No pointless small talk. Just coffee.

As he stirred his drink, his eyes landed on the young couple sitting at the next table. They were holding hands, whispering, giggling. Callahan rolled his eyes. People always made a big fuss over romance. Waste of time, in his opinion. He had never married, never wanted to. Relationships were complicated, full of expectations and disappointments. He liked his life the way it was—quiet, predictable, and free of unnecessary attachments.