The Quite Ridge

Chapter 19- Rhett

I wasn’t expecting her to keep the conversation going. Not like that. The first part made sense. Simple. Straight. Same as earlier. But most people would’ve let it end there. Said what they needed to say and moved on. She didn’t. That was the part that stuck.

I leaned back in the chair at Maddie’s, the noise of the house settling around me. Jace was saying something from the kitchen, Maddie moving back and forth like she always did, everything falling into the same rhythm it had every night. Normal. But my attention wasn’t on any of it. It stayed on my phone.

When I told her where I was, I didn’t think about it. Didn’t need to. It was just part of the day. Same place. Same routine. Still, when she went quiet after that, I noticed. Long enough to matter. Not long enough to ask.

Then she answered. Kept it going. Pushed it just enough without making it obvious. That wasn’t accidental. The way she held things back, even while she was responding, that stood out more than anything she actually said.

So I pushed back. Kept it light. Didn’t overdo it. But I didn’t let it drop either. When I asked if she was always that quiet after starting a conversation, it wasn’t random. It was a test. Simple enough not to mean anything on its own, but enough to see what she did with it.

Her answer came back quick.

Depends.

That was expected.

But when I asked on what, and she answered—

Who I’m talking to.

That stuck. More than it should have. Most people didn’t answer like that. Didn’t meet you there. She did.

So I didn’t back off.

Would’ve been a shame if that was just a one-time thing.

The words came easier than they should have. Didn’t feel forced. Didn’t feel like too much. Just enough.

Her answer came back quick again.

We’ll see.

I nodded slightly to myself, reading it again. Same tone. Same control. But she didn’t shut it down. That was the part that mattered.

I leaned back further in the chair, letting the noise from the house come back into focus around me, but my phone stayed in my hand. Didn’t put it down. Didn’t need to.

When I sent the last message, I didn’t expect anything else back. Didn’t need it.

Yeah.

We will.

That was enough.

Same night. Same place. Nothing changed.

Still—

something had.

And I didn’t miss that either