Chapter Nine — The Ex Returns
345 Words
The universe, unfortunately, had other plans.
She ran into Ethan at the grocery store.
Literally.
“Oof—”
“Sorry—”
They froze.
“Mara?”
Her stomach flipped.
Ethan looked the same — same hair, same build, same stupidly handsome face.
Except now, he was staring at her like she’d just walked out of a dream.
“Hi,” she said calmly.
“Wow,” he breathed. “You look…”
She waited.
“Incredible.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
His eyes dropped — openly — then flicked back up. “You’ve lost weight.”
“Yes.”
“And your hair… and—”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Are you done?”
He flushed. “Sorry. I just— I didn’t recognize you.”
That should’ve hurt.
It didn’t.
“How have you been?” he asked.
“Good,” she said honestly. “Really good.”
“That’s… great.”
Silence stretched awkwardly.
Then he cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking about you.”
Her chest tightened — not with longing, but irritation.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. And I just wanted to say… I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For how things ended. I didn’t handle it well.”
She studied his face.
“What do you want, Ethan?”
He hesitated. “I was hoping we could get coffee sometime. Catch up.”
Six months ago, she would’ve said yes without thinking.
Now?
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said.
He frowned. “Why not?”
“Because you didn’t want me when I looked like me,” she said calmly. “And now you do. That tells me everything.”
“That’s not fair—”
“It’s honest.”
He looked wounded. “I made a mistake.”
She tilted her head. “Did you? Or did my body change?”
He opened his mouth.
Closed it.
She smiled softly. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
She walked away.
And didn’t look back.
- Writer
