The Past Never Left

The clink of keys echoed in the quiet of the café as Lily unlocked the door. The evening air was colder than she expected, making her shiver as she stepped inside.

She hesitated for a moment, staring at the space she’d poured her heart into. The soft hum of the espresso machine and the faint smell of leftover coffee beans felt like a strange comfort.

It had been a long day, one that felt like it dragged on forever. Atlas had shown up, and Ryle had acted... strange. She didn’t know what to make of it all, but her thoughts kept circling back to that moment when she saw Atlas walk through the door. It felt like her whole world had shifted with just one glance.

But the last thing she needed was to be tangled in the mess of her past. Not now. Not after everything she had worked for.

"Closing up early tonight?" Ally’s voice broke through the silence as she walked into the backroom, wiping her hands on a rag.

Lily gave a small nod. "Yeah, just needed to get out of there."

Ally raised an eyebrow, crossing the room to stand beside her. "What happened? I thought you were going to handle things with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Intense without any drama."

Lily leaned against the counter, rubbing her temples. "Drama doesn’t even begin to cover it."

Ally chuckled. "So, what, Ryle gets jealous or something?"

Lily scoffed. "Jealous? No, I don’t think that’s it. But he wasn’t thrilled about Atlas showing up."

Ally smirked. "I can’t blame him. It’s obvious there’s something more there than just ‘old friends.’"

Lily swallowed hard. She hated how true that sounded. She didn’t have to be reminded. The tension between her and Atlas had always been there, lingering in the spaces they couldn’t fill with words. And now, with Ryle watching them, it felt like the past was smacking her in the face.

"You think Ryle’s onto something?" Lily asked, her voice low, almost to herself.

Ally nodded. "You two have chemistry. I don’t know if it’s love or something else, but it’s there."

Lily shook her head. "It’s been years. I don’t even know if I remember how to deal with him anymore."

Ally smiled, her tone teasing. "Oh, I bet you remember enough."

Lily gave her a look, but Ally just nodded. "Look, I’m not saying you have to jump back into anything, but... it’s clear that Atlas still affects you. It’s in the way you look at him. The way your voice changes when you say his name."

Lily’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly turned away. "Enough, Ally. I don’t want to talk about him anymore."

Ally raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. But you know where to find me if you change your mind."

Lily barely acknowledged her friend’s words, her mind drifting back to the conversation that had unfolded earlier.

“Lily, it’s been a long time. I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

Atlas’s voice had cut through her like a knife, and the old ache she’d buried for so long resurfaced, uninvited.

She had wanted to tell him off, to yell at him for disappearing from her life without a word. But instead, she’d let him sit there, taking it all in.

His steady gaze, those eyes that never once left hers, they told her everything. He regretted it. Or maybe that was just what she wanted to believe.

Her phone buzzed on the counter, snapping her out of her thoughts.

A text from Ryle.

Lily stared at the screen, her finger hovering over the reply button. What was there to talk about? Everything had been said.

She didn’t need to be reminded that she was here, and Atlas was a part of her past that she’d never fully let go of. But Ryle... he was here now. He was in her present, her world, and that was a whole different kind of mess.

The doorbell rang again, and she turned toward the sound.

"Back so soon?" she said, her voice steady as she wiped her hands on her apron.

But the figure standing in the doorway wasn’t Ryle.

It was Atlas.

Lily’s breath caught in her throat. Not again. Why was he back?

He looked... different. A little older, maybe. But it wasn’t just the years that had changed him. There was something else in his expression, a guardedness that she hadn’t noticed earlier.

"Atlas?" she said, her voice coming out softer than she intended.

He hesitated for a moment before stepping inside, his eyes scanning the room as though he wasn’t sure if he belonged here.

"I, uh... I didn’t want to leave things like that," he said, his voice a little rougher than usual. "Can we talk?"

Lily bit her lip. Not this. Not tonight.

"You just... walked out," she said, her tone sharper than she intended. "After all this time, you just... leave again."

Atlas’s gaze softened, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn’t mean to hurt you, Lily."

Her chest tightened. He didn’t mean to hurt me?

"You did hurt me," she replied quietly. "You left without saying goodbye. No explanations. Nothing."

He exhaled, stepping closer. "I know. I regret that. But I was young, and I... I didn’t know what I was doing. I thought I was doing the right thing, but now, seeing you... I realize I was wrong."

Lily felt a knot form in her stomach. She didn’t want to hear his excuses. She didn’t want to be pulled back into this whirlwind of emotions. She had worked so hard to move past it all.

"Why are you here, Atlas? What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"I don’t know." His voice was quiet, almost hesitant. "I just... I needed to see you. I’ve thought about you all this time, but I didn’t think I could just come back and expect things to be the same."

Lily took a step back, her mind racing. He was here, standing in front of her, and all she wanted to do was run. But she couldn’t move. The memories, the years that had passed, all of it was weighing her down. Why now? Why after all these years?

A loud knock on the door interrupted the moment. It was sharp, urgent.

Lily turned toward the door, startled. She glanced at Atlas, and without a word, walked over and opened it.

Ryle stood there, his jaw tight, eyes dark. "Can we talk?"

Lily froze. This was exactly what she didn’t need.

"Ryle," she said, her voice tense. "Now is not the time."

He didn’t back down. His gaze flicked to Atlas, then back to her. "This needs to be talked about, Lily."

The air between the three of them was thick with tension. It was like something was about to snap, and none of them knew who would break first.

Atlas’s voice was quiet, but firm. "Lily, we can talk another time. If that’s what you need."

Lily didn’t know what to say. She wanted both of them to leave, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the words.

Ryle wasn’t about to back off. "No, this is my time."

The door slammed behind him as he stepped inside, his gaze fixed on Atlas with an intensity that made Lily’s stomach churn.

"You’re not welcome here," Ryle said coldly.

Atlas didn’t flinch. His posture remained relaxed, but there was a fire behind his eyes that wasn’t there earlier.

"I’m not here to cause trouble," Atlas replied, his voice calm. "But if we’re being honest, this is as much my time as it is hers."

Lily watched the two men, caught in a tug-of-war she didn’t know how to escape. Her heart raced in her chest as the weight of the situation sank in.

She was stuck. Between two men who couldn’t be more different, yet both were pulling her in different directions.

"Enough," Lily finally said, her voice quiet but firm. "Both of you. I can’t do this right now."

The room fell silent. 

The sun had barely risen when Lily stepped into the café. The air was crisp, and the streets were still quiet, with only a few early risers making their way to work. She could hear the sound of her boots tapping against the pavement as she walked. She had spent a restless night, tossing and turning in bed, her mind racing.

Everything had changed in a matter of hours.

Atlas’s sudden appearance in the café had been unsettling, but what had happened next, the arrival of Ryle had turned her world upside down.

The way the two of them had stared each other, both with their own unspoken words, had left her feeling more confused than ever.

"Morning," Ally greeted her from behind the counter, looking up from her phone. "Rough night?"