"They say beginnings are beautiful. But this one felt like a goodbye."
The airport was cold, louder than I remembered, and full of unfamiliar faces. I tightened my grip on the handle of my suitcase, the wheels clicking behind me like a metronome to my nerves.
I hadn't seen my sister in almost a year — not since everything back home shattered. She offered her place like a lifeline, a temporary escape. A house I'd never been to. A family I wasn't really part of. A brother-in-law I barely remembered… and his brother I'd never met.
I took a slow breath as I stepped into arrivals. My scarf slipped slightly off my shoulder from the breeze, and I adjusted it absentmindedly.
That's when I saw him.
Leaning against the wall, hands in the pockets of a black hoodie, his eyes caught mine — sharp, unreadable, and a little too intense for someone I'd only just laid eyes on.
He didn't smile. Neither did I.
So that's him… I thought.
The brother. The one I wasn't supposed to think twice about.
And just like that, my quiet escape didn't feel so quiet anymore.