Unfinished Conversations
1015 Words
The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and the lingering traces of last night’s rain. Mia stood outside the cafe, hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee, watching the sleepy town wake up. Normally, this was her favorite part of the day—the quiet before the morning rush, the promise of fresh beginnings.
But today, her thoughts were tangled with the past.
She had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ethan. The way he had looked at her last night, the quiet weight of his words. I never stopped thinking about you.
Mia let out a slow breath, shaking off the unease curling in her stomach. She had spent years rebuilding herself, creating a life where she no longer needed to wonder what if. She wasn’t about to let one night unravel all of that.
Lena arrived just then, her steps brisk, her usual energy undeterred by the early hour. She took one look at Mia and groaned.
“Oh no. Don’t tell me you’ve been brooding.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “I don’t brood.”
“You totally do,” Lena countered, unlocking the cafe door. “Let me guess—this has something to do with a certain someone who conveniently strolled back into town?”
Mia sighed. “I ran into him last night.”
Lena’s head snapped up. “What? Where?”
“Outside,” Mia admitted. “He was waiting for me.”
Lena muttered a curse under her breath, shrugging off her jacket. “What did he want?”
“To talk,” Mia said simply, stepping inside and flipping on the lights.
Lena snorted. “And let me guess, you didn’t let him?”
Mia hesitated. She hadn’t exactly shut him down, but she hadn’t given him anything either. “It doesn’t matter. He’s back for his dad, not for me.”
Lena didn’t look convinced. “You sure about that?”
Mia ignored the question and busied herself setting up the pastry display. “It doesn’t change anything. I’m over it. Over him.”
Lena watched her for a moment, then sighed. “Okay. But just so you know, pretending something doesn’t matter doesn’t make it true.”
Mia pressed her lips together. She didn’t need Lena psychoanalyzing her right now.
The cafe opened, and as customers trickled in, Mia let herself sink into the comfort of routine—greeting regulars, pouring coffee, filling the space with the smell of warm cinnamon and sugar. By mid-morning, she had almost convinced herself that Ethan’s return wasn’t affecting her.
Until he walked in.
The cafe quieted—not in an obvious way, but enough that Mia felt the shift. She knew before she even looked up.
Ethan stood just inside the doorway, hands tucked into his jacket pockets, gaze sweeping over the space like he was reacquainting himself with something once familiar.
Her pulse stuttered.
Lena, who had been refilling a sugar dispenser, muttered under her breath. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me.”
Mia straightened, forcing a neutral expression as he approached the counter.
“Morning,” he said, his voice steady.
She nodded, keeping her tone businesslike. “What can I get you?”
His lips twitched slightly, as if amused by her formality. “Same as yesterday.”
Mia busied herself making the coffee, trying not to let her hands shake. She could feel his gaze on her, the weight of it.
“I remember when you used to make coffee just for me,” Ethan mused.
Mia’s grip tightened on the cup. She set it down harder than necessary. “That was a long time ago.”
Ethan accepted the coffee, his fingers brushing hers for the briefest second. Her stomach flipped, but she ignored it.
“I meant what I said last night,” he said quietly.
Mia swallowed. “Don’t.”
His brows drew together. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t bring up the past like it’s something we can rewrite,” she said, forcing herself to meet his eyes. “You left, Ethan. You made that choice.”
Regret flickered across his face. “I know.”
Silence stretched between them, thick with things unspoken.
Lena, sensing the tension, cleared her throat loudly. “You gonna hold up the line all day, or…?”
Ethan huffed a small laugh, breaking the moment. “Right. I’ll get out of your way.” He lifted his coffee, offering Mia a lingering look before stepping aside.
Mia exhaled slowly, turning back to the next customer.
But Ethan didn’t leave.
Instead, he found a table in the corner and settled in, pulling out his phone like he had nowhere else to be. Mia did her best to ignore him, but it was impossible. He was a presence she could feel, no matter where he sat.
After an hour, she caved.
She walked over to his table, arms crossed. “Are you just going to sit here all day?”
He looked up, brows lifting. “It’s a cafe. People come here to sit.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “You never used to linger in coffee shops.”
His lips quirked. “Maybe I changed.”
She scoffed. “Right.”
Ethan set down his cup and leaned forward slightly. “Mia,” he said, voice lower now, more intimate. “Can we just—”
“No,” she cut in quickly. “No revisiting, no reminiscing, no picking at things better left alone.”
He sighed. “You really think that’s possible? Because I don’t.”
She clenched her jaw. “It has to be.”
He didn’t argue. Just watched her with that same quiet intensity that used to undo her completely.
Mia turned on her heel and walked away.
But even as she threw herself into work, she couldn’t shake the feeling that no matter how much she tried to pretend otherwise, Ethan’s return had already shifted something inside her.
And she wasn’t sure she could stop it.
- Writer
