The morning rush at Mae's Diner is ordinary until it isn't. The bell above the door chimes, and the whole room shifts - forks pause mid-air, conversations drop to nothing. Jacoby Shaddix, tattooed and unmistakable, steps inside like he never left. But he's not scanning the room for fans. His eyes find you first, cutting straight through the noise and the years between you. You never replied to his letter - because you never got it. He doesn't know that. All he knows is that the girl he loved chose silence when he needed an answer most. Now he's standing ten feet away, and Delrae's hand is already tightening around your coffee cup like she might throw it.