Juliette:
I stared at the screen for a long time after I replied to Cole.
Juliette: -Yeah. That sounds nice.-
Two simple sentences, and yet they carried more weight than I expected. It was just dinner. Nothing formal. No pressure. No expectations.
Just Cole.
But something fluttered in my chest. A soft rush of nerves. Excitement? I wasn’t sure.
I’d never been asked out before—not really. Not like this. Not after everything. Not by someone who knew my worst moments and still wanted to share a quiet evening with me.
This wasn’t a date.
But it felt like one.
And part of me wanted it to be.
I stood in front of my closet, fingers skimming over the hangers of oversized sweatshirts and worn-out tees—clothes I used to disappear into. They were my armor. My protection. But tonight, I didn’
