The realization was almost too much to bear. He had been right there, sitting just across from her, wanting to connect but too afraid to reveal the truth. And now, he was gone. Carla sank into the empty booth, feeling the weight of his absence pressing down on her chest like a heavy stone.
How had she not seen it? How had she not recognized the longing in his eyes, the unspoken words that hovered between them? Her mind raced back to all the moments they had shared—his quiet smiles, the gentle way he asked about her day, the soft sadness that always seemed to cling to him.