The Static Between Heartbeats

Rain slicked the alley, mirroring the sheen on the black coat slung over my shoulders – his. It smelled faintly of sandalwood and something else…a warmth that clung to the fabric, a ghost of him.
The neon from the bar bled into the puddles, distorting the city’s edges, just like he blurred the lines in my head. We weren't supposed to linger here, not after all the unspoken things hanging between us, thicker than this damp air. He’d found me fractured, a mosaic of bad decisions and colder nights, and for a fleeting moment, I thought he saw something worth piecing back together.
He said nothing when he draped it over my shoulders, just that small gesture…the way his fingers brushed mine. It was enough to make the city sounds fade, to focus only on the subtle rise and fall of his chest as we stood there, suspended in a silence heavier than any conversation. I traced the fabric, imagining him closer.
A text message buzzed in my pocket: 'Late night at the office.' Her. The spell broke like glass. He was a lighthouse, steady and bright, and I…I was just another ship passing in the rain, drawn to his glow but forever lost at sea.

Editor: Midnight Neon