The restaurant was full — plates clattering, voices rising, gospel humming low in the background. But in the very last booth, the world narrowed to two men and the weight between them. One still wore his funeral suit, the grief in his eyes louder than anything on the menu. Across from him sat the man who had come to pay respects — and collect on a promise whispered years ago, long before wedding bands and broken vows.

Their knees pressed under the table, steady, unrelenting. The untouched plates of fried chicken and collard greens sat cooling as the booth turned into a confession box. Every look carried blame, every shift carried desire. What was spoken wasn’t meant to be forgiven, and what wasn’t spoken was even heavier. By the time one of them stood to leave, nothing had been resolved, and everything still lingered in the silence they left behind.