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‘Hey,’ he says.

‘Hey.’

He watches me for a moment. The intensity of his gaze makes me feel like he has a window into my mind and is sifting through it.

‘I decided something today,’ I say. ‘I’m leaving my old life behind. I’ve told work, I’ve answered the emails I’ve been avoiding, and I’m staying here. I want to start over. With you.’

There’s a pause, the kind that stretches long enough to feel almost awkward. I can feel him shifting slightly. The corner of his mouth quirks up, and he leans back in his chair, propping his arm on the back of it.

‘Good. I’d been hoping you’d decide that.’

‘I don’t know how to start,’ I admit, almost whispering. ‘I feel like I’m leaving so much behind and here I don’t know where to begin. The girls’ apartment is already too small for them, but I don’t want to blow all my money on renting alone either. Then, for work, I don’t even know where to start.’

‘You can stay with me, if you want. For as long as you need.’

The offer hangs between us. I don’t say anything for a moment. The thought of staying with him, of not having to tackle all of this on my own, makes me feel relieved.

‘Really?’ I ask finally, my voice barely audible.

He nods. ‘Of course.’

I feel the sharp edges of my anxiety begin to dull. This is probably too soon. So many years have passed that we are practically strangers once more, though we never truly could be. Once, we knew each other inside and out, so intimately that perhaps it was inevitable we would find our way back into each other’s lives after all this time. Taking a sip of my coffee, I let the warmth settle in my chest.

‘Thank you, Ash. I appreciate that.’

Ash’s hand brushes mine briefly. It’s casual, but the heat behind it speaks more than either of us can say.

‘Good,’ he murmurs. ‘Because I’m not letting you go that easily.’

I laugh softly, shaking my head, and for the first time in a long while, I let myself imagine a life that isn’t weighed down by the past. A life that starts here, in this quiet cafe, with Ash beside me.

For now, that’s enough.

The cafe door closes behind me with a soft chime, and the cool evening air brushes my flushed cheeks. Ash’s words linger longer than the taste of the coffee on my tongue.

I’m not letting you go that easily.

Part of me should be unsettled by that, but instead a strange sense of contentment swirls inside me as I make my way down the street toward the girls’ apartment. The building is an old brick structure with narrow windows. Soft, warm light spills out from behind a patchwork of mismatched curtains, some faded, some patterned, each hanging a little differently. The bricks are darkened by age in places. Inside, the apartment smells faintly of vanilla candles and the pasta Elodie was making earlier. The TV drones quietly in the background.

‘Finally,’ Elodie announces the moment I step through the door.

She’s sprawled across the couch, her dark hair piled on top of her head and a blanket draped dramatically around her shoulders. Tess sits beside her with a book in her lap and fluffy slippers on her feet.

‘You were gone a while,’ Elodie states.

‘I ended up quitting my job and telling Mum I want to stay for a bit,’ I say, shrugging out of my jacket.

They exchange a glance as Tess marks her page and sets the book aside gently. ‘How did that go?’ she asks.

I hesitate.

‘Not good?’ Elodie probes.

Dropping my bag onto the chair, I release a heavy exhale. ‘No, not great. Ash stopped by the cafe.’

Elodie sits up straighter. ‘Of course he did, since he stalks you.’

Tess tilts her head slightly, studying me with curiosity. ‘What happened?’