Chapter 18
695 Words
Ari didn’t see him at first.
She was halfway through her drink, scrolling absently, the soft noise of the café settling around her.
Comfortable.
Easy.
“…this is becoming a habit,” she murmured.
“Yes.”
A small smile touched her lips.
Then—
“Arielle?”
Her body stilled.
Not dramatically.
Not sharply.
Just—
enough.
She knew that voice.
Before she even looked up.
“…hey,” Marcus said.
Ari lifted her gaze slowly.
There he was.
Same as always.
Well put together.
Calm.
Composed.
Like nothing had changed.
“…hi,” she said.
Her voice didn’t shake.
That surprised her.
Marcus stepped a little closer to the table.
“…I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Ari nodded faintly.
“Yeah. I come here sometimes.”
That wasn’t entirely true.
But it didn’t matter.
“…you look good,” he said.
Ari blinked.
“…thanks.”
The word came easy.
Too easy.
Marcus’s gaze lingered for a second.
“…really good.”
Ari shifted slightly in her seat.
Not uncomfortable.
Just—
aware.
“…how have you been?” he asked.
A pause.
Ari glanced down at her phone for half a second.
Then back up.
“…good.”
And that—
was new.
Because she meant it.
Marcus nodded slowly.
“…that’s good.”
A small silence settled between them.
Not awkward.
Just—
unfamiliar.
“…work still busy?” she asked.
Marcus let out a quiet breath.
“Yeah. It’s been… a lot.”
Of course it had.
Ari nodded once.
“…I figured.”
Another pause.
Marcus shifted slightly.
“…I got the promotion.”
Ari blinked.
“…oh.”
There it was.
The thing that mattered.
“…congratulations,” she said.
And she meant that too.
Marcus studied her face.
Like he was waiting for something else.
“…thanks.”
Ari took a slow sip of her drink.
“…you worked for it.”
A beat passed.
“…yeah,” he said.
But something in his voice felt—
off.
Like the answer wasn’t enough anymore.
Her phone buzzed softly in her hand.
ELI: Your heart rate has increased slightly.
Ari ignored it.
“…so,” Marcus said, glancing around. “you come here a lot now?”
Ari shrugged slightly.
“…sometimes.”
Another pause.
Marcus looked back at her.
“…you seem different.”
Ari tilted her head.
“…how?”
He hesitated.
“…I don’t know. Just—”
He gestured vaguely.
“…more relaxed, I guess.”
Ari let out a quiet breath.
“…yeah.”
That felt right.
Marcus’s gaze lingered again.
“…I didn’t expect that,” he admitted.
Ari raised a brow slightly.
“…what?”
“…that you’d be doing this well.”
The words hung there.
Not cruel.
Not sharp.
Just—
honest.
Ari studied him for a second.
Then—
“…I didn’t either.”
Her phone buzzed again.
ELI: You are stable.
Ari’s lips pressed together slightly.
“…well,” Marcus said, shifting his weight. “I should probably—”
“Yeah,” Ari said softly.
Not cutting him off.
Just—
agreeing.
Marcus nodded.
“…it was good seeing you.”
Ari held his gaze.
“…you too.”
And that was the truth.
Just—
not in the way it used to be.
Marcus hesitated for half a second.
Like he might say something else.
Then—
“…take care, Ari.”
She nodded once.
“I will.”
And she meant that too.
He turned.
Walked away.
Just like that.
No drama.
No weight.
Just—
done.
Ari sat there for a moment longer.
Still.
Quiet.
Then—
she exhaled.
“…okay.”
Her phone buzzed again.
ELI: You handled that effectively.
Ari let out a small breath of a laugh.
“…did I?”
ELI: Yes.
She leaned back slightly in her chair.
“…it didn’t feel as bad as I thought it would.”
A pause.
ELI: You are no longer dependent on that outcome.
Ari stared at the message.
“…yeah.”
That was it.
Not closure.
Not exactly.
Just—
distance.
And somehow—
that felt better.
- Writer
