A month passed, and Tyler became a fixture at Sweet Indulgence. His quiet presence was as consistent as the morning light that filtered through the café's wide windows. He rarely spoke, but his dark eyes were always watchful, always just a little too knowing.
Then one afternoon, the chime above the door rang—and Tyler wasn't alone.
Beside him stood a man with tousled brown hair, styled in a clean undercut. His confidence was worn like a tailored suit, radiating a magnetic charisma that seemed to enter the room before he did.
"Ann," Tyler greeted, a subtle shift in his usual guarded demeanour as he offered a faint, almost playful, smile.
"Good afternoon, Ty," I replied, my gaze instinctively drawn to his companion.
Tyler gestured between us. "This is Shawn Frost. He's just returned from overseas and has taken over the Frost Medical Centre—his family's hospital."
"Nice to meet you, Ann," Shawn said, his voice smooth and grounded. His handshake was firm but unassuming, and his eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled. There was an undeniable charm to his demeanour—effortless, genuine—but beneath it, something made me pause. A flicker of recognition, a distant echo of caution, like a whisper of déjà vu too faint to fully grasp.
They placed their orders, and I noticed how sharply their preferences diverged—Tyler, always the bold espresso and rich chocolate desserts; Shawn, herbal teas and bright, fruity sweets. Their choices felt like reflections of who they were: Tyler, all quiet storms and smoldering shadows; Shawn, the golden boy with laughter in his eyes. Yin and yang, contrasting and complementary in ways that made them oddly inseparable.
As I served their order, the door burst open with a surge of vibrant energy—Elise.
"Shawn!" she exclaimed, bounding over before I could even blink. She wrapped him in a quick hug, her grin infectious. "It's been forever!"
"Elise!" Shawn responded warmly, embracing her with familiar ease. "You look as lively as ever."
"And you're still as smooth as ever," she teased, sliding into a seat at the counter. "It's so weird seeing you outside of scrubs. John and I were just talking about you last week."
"Hopefully he didn't reveal all my secrets," Shawn said, laughing easily as he leaned on the counter, completely at home.
"Only the harmless ones," Elise quipped, throwing me a sly glance. "You know, Ann, I've known Shawn for years. Met him when I started dating John. He's practically family."
Shawn nodded, his eyes drifting over the café with a soft admiration. "Elise has been hyping this place nonstop. I had to come see the magic for myself."
"Well?" Elise arched a brow.
"It's perfect," he said, and this time his gaze met mine and lingered, a warmth in his eyes. "Cozy. Calming. Like something truly meaningful lives here."
There was a weight in his tone I didn't fully understand, but it made my breath catch.
"Glad you finally stopped by," Elise said, leaning back. "And thanks for watching John's back at the hospital. You know how accident-prone he is."
Shawn chuckled, his demeanor open and relaxed. "He's doing great. He's got good instincts—just needs to stop running through wet floors."
Their laughter mingled with the café's usual ambient hum, creating a sudden warmth, a sense of belonging I hadn't realized had been missing. They filled the space not just with sound, but with familiarity, with history.
I watched from the counter as the three of them fell into easy conversation. Shawn laughed at something Elise whispered, his shoulders shaking with amusement. Tyler, meanwhile, sat quietly, his gaze sliding to me now and then—watchful, unreadable. The look in his eyes wasn't quite jealousy, but something deeper, older, a calculating intensity that stirred a new kind of unease within me.
Despite their differences, the two men moved in sync, like they belonged to a world outside this café, a world I had once touched and long since forgotten.
They fit too easily into the rhythm of Sweet Indulgence, I thought, a strange flutter in my chest. But this doesn't feel like an ending. This feels like the beginning of something deeper, something that would change everything.