The business party felt too loud for Kade.
He was twenty—old enough to wear a sharp suit, young enough to hate places like this.
He sat at the drink counter, one elbow resting on the cold surface, a glass untouched in front of him.
Around him, men talked about deals and power. None of it mattered.
Then someone stopped a few steps away.
Kade sensed it before he saw him.
He looked up.
Rowan.
Fifteen. Slim shoulders, nervous posture, dressed in a suit that looked borrowed rather than owned. His hair was a little messy, his eyes wide—still soft, still familiar.
Rowan stared at him for a moment, unsure.
"Kade…?" he asked quietly, like he was afraid the name might be wrong.
Kade's expression didn't change, but something inside him tightened.
"Yeah," he said. "Rowan."
Rowan's face lit up instantly. "It is you." He smiled, relieved. "I thought maybe I was imagining things."
"You're not," Kade replied, taking a small sip of his drink.
Rowan walked closer to the counter, standing beside him. "My dad got invited last minute. I didn't want to come, but…" He shrugged. "I'm glad I did."
Kade nodded, uninterested. "These parties aren't for kids."
Rowan laughed softly. "You sound older."
Kade looked at him then—really looked.
He noticed how Rowan still stood a little too close, like he trusted him without thinking.
"I am older," Kade said calmly. "Five years isn't nothing."
Rowan didn't take it as distance. "Yeah," he said. "But you're still you."
Kade looked away.
"You disappeared," Rowan added after a pause. "One day you were there… then nothing. I thought maybe I did something wrong."
"No," Kade said quickly. Too quickly.
Then, colder, "Things happened."
Rowan frowned. "You don't have to explain. I just—" He hesitated. "I missed you."
Kade's fingers tightened around the glass.
"That was a long time ago," he said.
"You should focus on school.
Friends your age."
Rowan blinked, confused by the tone. "I just wanted to talk."
"We're talking," Kade replied, though his voice was distant.
Rowan searched his face, trying to understand the wall that wasn't there before.
"You used to protect me," Rowan said softly. "Remember? When those boys used to corner me?"
"I remember," Kade said, his jaw hardening.
For a moment, silence sat heavy between them.
Rowan smiled again, smaller this time. "I'm glad you're okay."
Kade stood up. "You should stay near your father. This place isn't safe for wandering."
Rowan nodded slowly. "Will I see you again tonight?"
Kade hesitated—just for a second.
"Maybe," he said.
Rowan watched him walk away, unaware that Kade wasn't leaving because he didn't care—
but because he cared in a way he had already learned was dangerous.
And just then—
Kade felt a presence behind him.
A familiar voice he hadn't heard in years spoke his name—
And the night shifted, quietly, toward something darker.....