We make our way back into the diner slowly, like stepping out of one world and into another. I follow Mr. Madden, balancing four heavy candles in my hands, my gaze fixed on his back while my thoughts spiral completely out of control. The diner is swallowed by darkness. Not dim—black. The kind of darkness that erases everything, where shapes blur and people become nothing but moving shadows. Evee sets her flashlight down on the counter, angling it toward the ceiling so the faint beam scatters across the room. One by one, customers step in to help, striking matches, lighting candles, placing them wherever they can—on tables, windowsills, corners. Small flames begin to flicker to life, fragile but warm, chasing away the worst of the dark. I light a cherry-scented candle, the flame dancing instantly, casting a soft glow over my hands. And him. Mr. Madden stands right in front of me, watching me over the small flame. The light flickers across his face, catching in his grey eyes, turni
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