The Space Between Heartbeats

The Day It All Came Back

Chapter Three

The Day It All Came Back

Present Day

A sudden, sharp knock on my bedroom door jerks me out of my thoughts. Before I can process what’s happening, Em rushes in. “Thank you, Mrs Burrows, yes, I’ll tell Dannielle and my mum,” she calls over her shoulder.

I raise an eyebrow at her, confused. It’s not often Em calls me by my full name. We’ve always had a rule—nicknames only, full names are reserved for when we’re in trouble, or when speaking to our parents.

Em plops down beside me on the bed, her usual energy filling the room. “So, your mum invited me to stay for the weekend. If that’s okay with you and my mum?” she asks, her tone a little too casual.

I raise an eyebrow. “You’ve already messaged her, right?”

“Already done,” she says with a smirk, then immediately glances at the open book on my lap. She knows I won’t get any work done tonight. Without hesitation, she shuts the book and shoves it aside. There’s a pause, and then she pulls me into a tight hug, one of those bear hugs that feel like they might squeeze the air right out of you. Just as I’m about to ask her to let go, my phone buzzes on the bed, making us both jump.

We exchanged a quick look. Then, as if we were synchronised, we both glance down at the phone. I reach for it, but Em’s faster. She picks it up, reads the screen, and then turns to me with a puzzled expression.

Uh-oh.

I hadn’t told her about the message—the three words he’d sent me. I hadn’t even been able to process what they meant when I first read them. But the look she’s giving me now tells me it’s time to spill.

“Okay, Danni, he’s requested to follow you on i********:. What do you think?”

I swallowed hard, feeling my heart race a little. “I don’t know, Em. I’m in two minds about it. You still follow him, right?”

She nods. “Yeah, I do. And you know how hard it’s been not to message him.”

“I know,” I say, my voice softer. “You saw what he did to me, how I reacted. I’m sorry.”

Em shakes her head, pulling me into another hug. “Danni, seriously. You have nothing to apologise for,” she said. We’ve been best friends for how long now? I told you then, and I’ll say it again. Something happened to that boy. He didn’t just go cold for no reason. I don’t know why he messaged you, but we’ll figure it out. I promise.”

I didn’t know how to reply, so I just hugged her back. We decide—well, Em decides—that I should follow him back on i********:. We dive into his stories. And then, we see them. Every one of his posts feels like it’s aimed directly at me. Lyrics from When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars—the song that used to be our song.

“Em, the text, those three words…” My throat tightens as I try to speak. I don’t even know how to finish the sentence. But before I can, Mum calls us to dinner.

Em and I glance at each other and burst out laughing as we make our way to the table. Dinner is the usual chaos. My younger brother, Jonathan James (JJ, to everyone), is being, well, himself—ten years old and impossible to ignore. He’s throwing a mild tantrum about not getting enough mashed potatoes, and, of course, Mum’s on top of everything, orchestrating the chaos like it’s just another day in her life.

Nolan, my stepdad, joins the table. He’s JJ’s real dad, but always treats me like one of his own. As usual, he’s joking with Em, offering her roast lamb, knowing she’s a vegetarian. Em’s face scrunches up in mock disgust as she smacks him lightly on the arm, a familiar scene that makes me feel at home.

“Two daughters, huh?” I overheard Nolan tell a friend once. I’m glad Em’s part of this family, even if she’s not technically my sister.

We all settle into the routine of talking about our day, plans for the weekend, and anything else that comes up. When it’s my turn, I skip over the weirdness that was today, keeping it light. Em notices, though. She places a comforting arm on my shoulder and leans in for a side hug. Mum and Nolan don’t think twice. It’s just us.

Once dinner’s over, we play rock, paper, scissors to decide who washes, dries, and puts away the dishes. JJ wins and chooses to put everything away. I come second, so I dry. Em, ever the clean freak, opts to wash. We knock out the chore quickly—because we’ve got bigger things to figure out.

Back in my room, Em and I snuggle up on my bed with my laptop. I can feel the tension building between us.

“So,” Em says, her eyes glued to me. “I’ve been waiting all dinner for you to tell me. What did the text say?”

I hesitate. Deep breath. I’m about to say it out loud. But... can I? Does it even mean anything?

“I miss you,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Em’s jaw drops. “Wait, what?”

“I miss you,” I repeat, louder this time.

She stares at me, processing. Then, before I could say another word, I blurted out a string of questions, desperate for some kind of clarity. “It means nothing, right? He must have texted the wrong person. Why does he still have my number? Does he even think about me?”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down,” Em says, holding up a hand to calm me. “Let’s think this through.”

She pulls up our social media feeds, gliding between pages with practised ease. “To answer your questions, yes, it means something. I think he messaged exactly who he wanted to. And I believe he’s kept your number for the same reason you’ve kept his.”

I’m taken aback. She’s right. I’ve held onto his number, hoping for a moment where I could reach out, but always chickening out at the last second. I hadn’t realised until now how much I’ve been holding onto the past.

“What are you doing?” I ask Em, noticing she’s toggling between tabs like a detective.

“Investigating Rixon,” she says, a mischievous glint in her eye.

We spend the next half hour creeping through Rixon’s online life, finding nothing too surprising—until Em can’t hold it anymore. I’m scrolling through Spotify, looking for a song to distract me, when I hear her type something fast.

“Done,” she says, grinning like she’s just uncovered a secret.

“Now we wait.”

A notification pops up, and I freeze. Em’s grin fades.

“He replied.”

I stare at the screen, heart pounding. She turns it toward me. Do I really want to know? My stomach tightens, but I can’t look away.

His message is simple but chilling.

Hey Em, you saw those, huh? You can guess who it’s about. You’d be right. It’s about the most perfect girl in the world. Stuff happened. I made a huge mistake and have lived with it for nine long months. I’m so sorry, Danni. I figured you were with Em when you saw this, and I’m glad you’re not alone. I know you don’t want to hear from me, but please... can we talk?

I can’t breathe. My whole world shifts as my mind tries to process the words. My eyes sting, and before I can stop it, tears spill down my face. I feel the weight of everything—everything we had and lost—come crashing back.

I’m shaking. Em is right there, holding me, but I can’t focus on anything except what he’s just said.

“Em, I have an idea,” I whispered, wiping my tears away. “He knows I’m with you. But he doesn’t know about Cole.”

Em looks at me, confused. “Cole?”

I nod, heart pounding. The truth spills out before I can stop it. “I need to call him.”

And just like that, things are about to get even more complicated.