In the Middle of Everything
626 Words
The sun hid behind thick gray clouds. A storm was coming, but Ava didn’t mind. She liked the smell of the wind just before the rain, how it cleared the air.
She stood on the back porch of her apartment, a mug of coffee in hand, watching the leaves tremble on their branches. For the first time since she moved back, she wasn’t thinking about escaping. She wasn’t thinking about Cole. She wasn’t even thinking about what might happen next.
She was here. And that was enough.
The clinic had called that morning. She got the job. Part-time, flexible hours, room to grow. Dana said she liked Ava’s honesty. She liked her strength.
Ben was the first person she told.
He didn’t say much. Just showed up with a small chocolate cake and two plastic forks.
“I figured we’d celebrate,” he said, sitting beside her on the porch steps.
She laughed, the sound light and real.
They ate in silence, side by side, legs barely touching. The quiet between them had become familiar. Comfortable.
After a few bites, Ava turned to him. “Why are you always around?”
He met her eyes. “Because you don’t ask me to leave.”
Her chest tightened. She didn’t respond. She didn’t need to.
That night, the wind picked up. Rain tapped the windowpane like a steady drum. Ava sat by her desk, looking through old notes from nursing school. She hadn’t touched them in over a year. Now, they didn’t feel like weights. They felt like a roadmap.
A new chapter.
She flipped through pages of scribbled terms and diagrams, thinking about the patients she’d soon meet, the stories she’d hear. She didn’t feel ready, but she felt steady.
That was something.
Her phone buzzed. Another message from Cole.
“I’m still here. If you want to talk.”
She didn’t delete it. But she didn’t answer either.
Instead, she texted Ben.
“Do you like storms?”
The reply came fast.
“Only if I’m watching them with someone.”
The next morning, she found a package on her doorstep. A paperback with a sticky note: For stormy nights and new beginnings. No signature. But she knew it was from him.
That afternoon, she started her first shift at the clinic.
The air inside was warm, filled with quiet sounds, typing, footsteps, distant beeps. Dana showed her around, introduced her to staff, explained the routine.
Everything felt both new and familiar.
She sat in on her first intake session with a teenage girl recovering from a car accident. The girl had broken ribs and a stitched forehead, but her voice was clear.
“You look young,” the girl said, eyeing Ava with curiosity.
Ava smiled. “I get that a lot.”
“You nervous?”
“A little,” Ava admitted. “But I’m glad to be here.”
The girl nodded. “Cool. I think you’ll do fine.”
That night, Ava walked home in the rain, coat zipped, hands in her pockets. Cars passed, headlights slicing through mist. She paused at the intersection near the town square.
Cole stood on the other side.
He didn’t move. Just watched her. His eyes full of questions.
She nodded once. Not a yes. Not a no. Just a quiet acknowledgment.
Then she turned away and kept walking.
Ben’s apartment light was on. She could see his shadow moving behind the curtain. She didn’t knock. She didn’t need to.
She kept walking. Past his door. Past the café. Toward the cliffs.
The sea was wild tonight. Waves crashing, wind tearing at her coat. She stood at the edge, letting the noise fill her chest.
Not afraid. Not waiting.
Just in the middle of everything.
- Writer
