The days grew colder, and Ren found himself visiting places he'd once gone with Aiko. On a quiet Sunday, he visited the café where they'd first met, the familiar atmosphere stirring memories that were both warm and painful. The barista, an older woman who remembered him, greeted him with a gentle smile.
"Welcome back," she said, handing him a coffee. "It's been a while."
Ren thanked her, sitting by the window where they'd once shared laughter and dreams. As he looked out, he realized the memories no longer hurt as they once had. They were gentle now, like old photographs he could look at without breaking.
He took a deep breath, whispering a quiet goodbye to the past he had once clung to, feeling a strange sense of freedom fill the empty spaces inside him.