The restaurant hadn't changed. Same muted lighting, same careful arrangement of tables that suggested privacy without promising it.
Same host who recognized Julian with a polite nod before leading him to the corner booth where Elias was already waiting.
He looked up as Julian approached, and for a moment, something almost like relief passed through his expression before being smoothed away.
That was Elias, always controlled, always composed, even when he hadn't expected to win.
"You came," he said as Julian slid into the booth opposite him.
"You asked twice," Julian replied, placing his napkin in his lap with methodical precision. "It seemed rude to make it three."
Elias's mouth tightened almost imperceptibly. "I wasn't sure you would."
"You were sure enough to try again."
That landed between them, clean and sharp.
Elias shifted slightly, adjusting his silverware on the table. "How have you been?"
