Run: 2026-02-19-01KHTQS823PE15X41H0SZ20PN6

The winter rain had driven most of Soho's usual crowd indoors, leaving puddles that reflected the neon signs in fractured ribbons of color. Aurora wiped down the bar counter at The Raven's Nest, the green glow from the sign outside casting shadows across the worn wood. The evening crowd hadn't arrived yet, and Silas was in his office doing inventory, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the steady drum of raindrops against the windows. The door creaked open, letting in a gust of cold air and the sound of passing traffic. Aurora looked up, the glass in her hand frozen mid-polish. The woman who walked in shook water from her umbrella, her designer coat and perfectly styled hair a stark contrast to the bar's weathered interior. "Eva?" Aurora's voice cracked slightly on the name. Eva Welsh turned, her manicured hand still on the door handle. Her eyes widened. "Rory? My God, I didn't know you were in London." The glass made a dull thud as Aurora set it down. Five years had transformed her childhood friend from the girl who used to sneak out to smoke behind the school gym into someone who looked like she'd stepped out of a fashion magazine. "I've been here almost two years now." Aurora's fingers found the crescent scar on her left wrist, a nervous habit she'd never shaken. Eva moved to the bar, her heels clicking against the floor. She perched on a stool, maintaining the perfect posture that would have made their old PE teacher proud. "Two years? Why didn't you reach out?" "You changed your number." Aurora grabbed another glass, needing something to do with her hands. "And after everything with Evan..." "I heard about that." Eva's perfectly lined lips pressed together. "I wanted to call, but by then you'd disappeared from Cardiff." "That was the point." Aurora poured two fingers of whiskey without asking, sliding the glass across to Eva. It was the same drink they'd shared the night before Eva left for London, before internships and law firms and different worlds had carved a space between them. Eva stared at the glass. "Still remember my poison." "Some things stick." Aurora leaned against the bar. "You made partner at Harrington and Cole?" "You saw that?" "LinkedIn. Congratulations." "Thanks." Eva took a careful sip. "What about you? Are you still..." "No law school, if that's what you're asking. I deliver takeout, tend bar. Nothing that would impress the old crowd." "That's not what I meant." "Isn't it?" The words came out sharper than Aurora intended. Eva's perfectly manicured fingers tightened around the glass. "I looked for you, you know. After I heard about Evan. Called your parents, but they wouldn't tell me anything." "They didn't know where I was either. Not at first." Aurora grabbed a glass for herself, breaking her own rule about drinking during shifts. "Funny how you only looked when it was too late." "That's not fair." "No?" Aurora met Eva's gaze. "You were the one who told me to come to London. 'Get away from Cardiff,' you said. 'Start fresh.' But when I finally did..." "I was drowning in cases, Rory. Seventy-hour weeks, trying to prove myself." "I needed my best friend." The silence stretched between them, filled only by the rain and distant traffic. Eva's makeup couldn't quite hide the dark circles under her eyes, the slight tremor in her hand as she lifted the glass again. "I miss who we were," Eva said quietly. "Remember that summer after A-levels? When we thought we'd conquer the world together?" "Two girls from Cardiff against the universe." Aurora's throat tightened. "Seems like a lifetime ago." "We were naive." "We were brave." From the back room came the sound of Silas' uneven footsteps, his slight limp more pronounced in the damp weather. Eva straightened, already reaching for her handbag. "I should go. I have a meeting..." "Of course." Aurora didn't move to stop her. "It was good to see you, Eva." Eva stood, smoothing her coat. She hesitated, then pulled out a business card, placing it carefully on the bar. "My personal number's on the back. If you ever want to..." "Yeah." Aurora didn't reach for the card. "Maybe." At the door, Eva paused. "Are you happy, Rory? Here?" Aurora looked around the bar, at the maps and photographs that had become more familiar than her childhood home. "I'm free. That's not nothing." Eva nodded once, a gesture heavy with understanding and regret. The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving Aurora alone with two half-empty glasses and the weight of everything they hadn't said.