Page 44 of Hearts & Embers

"No."

I looked out the window as the school disappeared behind us.

"Not miserable at all."

My phone vibrated before we reached the next intersection. Jasper's name appeared on the screen, and the message waiting there made my smile return before I could stop it.

Jasper: How was the first day back?

I typed my answer while Elyssa drove.

Me: Successful. For me and the students..

His reply arrived almost immediately.

Jasper: Sounds like an excellent outcome.

I laughed softly and leaned back against the seat. The day had been long, my leg ached, and I knew recovery still had plenty of challenges waiting ahead.

Even so, I was back in the classroom, Elyssa was still close enough to hover without living in my apartment, and Jasper was only a phone call away.

For the first time in weeks, the shape of my life felt recognizable again, only now there was something new threaded through it that made the familiar parts feel brighter.

Chapter Fourteen

Jasper

Two weeks without the gym sounded manageable when a doctor said it. Living through it was an entirely different matter.

By Wednesday morning, I’d discovered there were only so many books a man could read, television shows he could watch and errands he could invent before restlessness became impossible to ignore. Exercise had always been more than a hobby for me. It provided routine, structure, and an outlet for everything the job occasionally left behind. Without it, the days seemed longer than usual and my patience noticeably shorter.

Cody noticed immediately.

"You look miserable."

I glanced across the kitchen.

"Good morning to you too."

"I'm serious."

The conversation continued while he prepared coffee and I pretended not to be irritated by his presence. Unfortunately, the man had spent enough years around me to recognise frustration when he saw it.

"You'll survive another week."

"I know."

"Then stop acting like somebody cancelled Christmas."

I stared at him.

"That comparison doesn't even make sense."

"It wasn't supposed to."

The annoying part was that he wasn't entirely wrong.

Later that morning I took the elevator downstairs and let myself into the building gym. The familiar smell of rubber flooring and disinfectant should have felt reassuring. Instead, it served as a reminder that my normal routine remained out of reach.