The rain had stopped, leaving the cobblestones slick and reflecting the neon glow of the tea shop across the square. He stood hunched beneath the awning, the collar of his worn tweed coat pulled high, shielding his face from the lingering dampness. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, knuckles white. Across the square, she was laughing, her head thrown back, the light catching the silver threads woven into her hair. He couldn’t hear what she was saying, but the joy radiating from her was a tangible thing, a bright, painful pulse in the grey evening. He watched her, motionless, a single, fallen leaf clinging to the lapel of his coat, mirroring the way his shoulders seemed to droop, weighted down by an invisible burden. The square was emptying, the last of the evening strollers hurrying home, but he remained, a solitary figure swallowed by the shadows, his gaze fixed on a happiness he no longer shared.
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