Mariah Carey’s voice bounced off the walls, her Christmas music playing too loudly.
A couple laughed loudly, cups clinking, at a corner table. Someone spilled cocoa and laughed about it.
I ordered a latte I didn’t even want and stood to the side near the counter, waiting.
I stared at the Christmas lights in the window.
I hadn’t planned to sit. I just needed to kill time and then get moving.
But when the barista slid the drink toward me, and I reached out for it, something stopped me cold.
The bracelet.
On his wrist was a thick, hand-braided bracelet in faded blue and gray threads. It was tied in a tiny knot instead of a clasp.
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