COLEEN
I woke up the next morning with that strange, buzzing feeling still in my chest, like my heart hadn’t quite decided if it wanted to settle or keep racing.
The night before, Hayden and I sitting close, talking like the world outside the apartment didn’t exist, kept replaying in my mind like a film reel. His voice, low and steady, the way his eyes softened when he promised me he wasn’t going anywhere… it lingered, heavy and light all at once.
I should have felt calm after that. Secure. But instead, all I felt was this terrifying, vulnerable ache in my stomach. Because things were shifting. And for someone like me, who’d built walls so high they nearly touched the clouds, change was always scary.
By the time evening rolled around, Mark was sprawled out on the couch, his guitar cas
