It had been a few days since Emma had agreed to give Alexander a chance, though they were still keeping things slow, taking small steps forward. It felt strange, like the beginning of something new yet familiar, as though they were picking up the pieces of an old friendship and cautiously stitching them back together. Emma didn’t know what the future held, but she was determined to take it one day at a time. For now, she could handle being friends with him—nothing more, nothing less.
Emma met Alexander at their usual café once again, the same one where they’d spent countless afternoons together before everything had fallen apart. The place felt like a safe haven, a neutral ground where they could reconnect without the weight of the past constantly hanging over them.
"Hey," Emma greeted,
