The house had settled into that deep, familiar quiet that only came after midnight.
The dishwasher had stopped humming hours ago. Somewhere down the hall, the old refrigerator clicked to life with its usual tired groan. The wooden floor creaked every now and then as the house shifted in the cold, making it sound almost... awake.
Avery wasn't.
She lay flat on her back, staring at the faint patterns the streetlight painted across her ceiling.
Sleep wasn't happening.
Not even close.
She'd closed her eyes three different times.
Counted backwards.
Flipped her pillow over.
Nothing worked.
Every time she drifted close, her mind wandered right back to the coffee shop.
To Zane laughing.
Really laughing.
The memory refused to leave her alone.
She smiled despite herself.
This is ridicu
