Return of the Beast

[POV: Elara]

When he doesn’t show up for the second consecutive day, it only makes my fragile reality significantly harder to bear. The diner around me continues its usual, exhausting rhythm—the aggressive clattering of cheap silverware, the loud sizzling of greasy bacon on the flattop grill, and the endless, mindless chatter of hungry patrons. Yet, I am completely disconnected from all of it. Ev