The morning after was gentle, the sky a blue mist as sunlight slid slowly over the city.
Kai sat outside the studio, a black coffee cup cradled in his hands, thoughts still reeling between last night's high and the constant hum of something absent.
That was when he heard the familiar sound of small footsteps.
He looked up.
Cherry ran towards him, her cheeks full and a bright pink ice cream cone dripping over her fingers.
"Cherry?" Kai blinked. "Where'd you get that?"
She grinned up at him, her voice all proud and sticky, "Noah dada gave it to me!"
The name hit Kai like a slow, surprise blow. His hands tightened around his coffee cup.
Cherry, unaware, took another huge bite of her cone, pink smearing over her mouth.
Kai's throat constricted, a knot painfully tight.
He struggled to mask his face, keep it calm, but his voice sounded softer, harsher than he intended,
"Oh. Noah?"
