The cafe buzzed with Friday night chatter, but Elias couldn't focus. He kept fiddling with the straw in his iced coffee, the plastic crinkling under his nervous fingers. Across the small, round table, Chloe laughed at something her companion said, her head thrown back, a cascade of dark hair falling across her shoulders. He remembered braiding that hair, years ago, on a lazy summer afternoon. Now, she looked at him with polite, unfamiliar eyes.
“So, you said you work in marketing?” Chloe’s date inquired, leaning forward. Elias watched her carefully, every muscle in his neck prickling.
He took a large gulp of his drink, the cold liquid doing nothing to cool the sudden heat that rose in his chest. “Yeah, it’s… interesting.” He hated the way his voice sounded, strained and thin. He felt a desperate urge to bolt, to disappear back into the anonymity of the crowded street.
The man, whose name he still hadn't caught, offered a hand to Chloe, who happily took it and they stood to leave. "Good night, Chloe," Elias managed, feeling his face flush. Her response was a casual goodbye as she followed the man to the door, leaving Elias alone, feeling as though he had just been dismissed from a courtroom.