Chapter 3: A Promise Renewed

...Sis, this time, please don’t leave me again.

He didn’t say it aloud, but the words echoed in his heart like a silent prayer. He gripped her hand tighter, as if to anchor her to this world.

On the drive back, Lauren asked curiously how Evan had recognized her so quickly.

She leaned back in the passenger seat, watching the city blur past. The question came out light, teasing, but there was a nervous edge to her voice. The dashboard lights cast a soft glow over her features.

"In TV dramas, doesn’t it usually take dozens of episodes for the truth to come out?"

She grinned, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "You didn’t even hesitate."

Evan kept his eyes on the road, his knuckles tapping lightly on the steering wheel, lips pressed into a line. The radio played softly, a pop song fading into static.

He smiled faintly, the gesture barely visible in the dashboard glow. "You’re too familiar," he replied. "I know all your habits. I know exactly how you look when you’re flustered."

He shot her a sidelong glance, warmth in his eyes. "You always scrunch your nose when you’re nervous."

After so many years together—not to mention seeing her in his dreams every night—when he saw her in person, there was an instant, soul-deep connection that set his heart racing. The city lights reflected in his eyes, turning them gold and blue.

He recognized her at a glance.

He shrugged, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I couldn’t have missed you, even if I tried."

"I asked your name just to get you to make more gestures, to confirm my guess. When you’re nervous, your hands never stay still."

He chuckled, remembering the way she’d fidgeted with her hair, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the table. He remembered the feel of the cafe’s Formica table under her fingertips.

Coincidentally, Lauren had been rubbing Charlie’s fur at the time.

He grinned, remembering the scene. "You almost wore a hole in that poor dog’s head."

And all afternoon, he’d watched her—every tiny detail adding up, confirming what he felt in his heart.

He had catalogued every gesture, every laugh, every little quirk that made her Lauren. It had all added up to certainty. He remembered the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed, the way she bit her lip when she was thinking.

Lauren nodded.

She smiled, acknowledging how right he was. There was no hiding from someone who knew you so well. She tucked her hair behind her ear, her heart swelling with affection.

People who are close can’t hide from each other. Evan was right.

She thought back to all the times she’d tried to mask her feelings, only to have Evan see right through her. It was both comforting and terrifying. The truth had always been there, just beneath the surface.

"What about you, Sis?"

He glanced over, his tone softer now. "How did you recognize me?"

"Me?" Lauren looked at his profile. "You’ve changed a lot, but somehow you haven’t changed at all."

She studied his face—the familiar slope of his nose, the stubborn set of his jaw. "You still have that same look in your eyes."

At a red light, Evan turned his head. Lauren smiled, gentle and soft.

Their eyes met in the dim glow of the dashboard. For a moment, the years melted away, leaving only the two of them. The city faded, the world shrinking to just this car, this moment.

He heard his sister’s voice, just as gentle as always.

The sound of it soothed something deep inside him, easing old wounds. He felt his shoulders relax, the tension slipping away.

"I came back just to see you. How could I not recognize you?"

She reached over, squeezing his hand. "It was always you."

The early summer evening breeze danced tirelessly through the neighborhoods. Streets bustled with endless traffic and people, the world moving in its orderly way. The scent of food carts and blooming flowers drifted through the open window.

The familiar sounds—car horns, laughter, the hum of distant music—filtered in through the cracked window, grounding them in the present. The city was alive, but in this car, time stood still.

His heartbeat was wild—a long-lost feeling of being deeply moved.

He pressed a hand to his chest, almost surprised by the force of it. It was as if his heart was trying to make up for all the years it had spent numb. The sensation was both exhilarating and terrifying.

"Sorry, I was afraid to face it. That’s why I didn’t come to see you right away." Lauren’s eyes brimmed with guilt. She was afraid that, by the time she finally came to Evan, he would already be gone.

Her voice trembled, thick with regret. She looked away, blinking back tears. She bit her lip, her hands twisting in her lap.

"No need to apologize." I never blamed you, Sis.

He reached over, brushing her hair back from her face. "Really. I get it."

The light turned green, traffic flowed. Evan looked away, his gaze stretching into the distance. The city lights flickered in his eyes, reflecting hope and forgiveness.

No need for apologies, no need for guilt.