Almost Always Yours

Chapter 1: The Accidental Reunion

It had been seven years. Seven years since Eleanor Whitmore saw Henry Ashford, and honestly? She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

As she stood in the middle of the crowded university hallway, trying to squeeze past a group of loudly debating classmates, Ellie wished she could just disappear onto the floor. Or at least change her name, wear a disguise, and skip the awkwardness entirely.

Not that she was avoiding him. Of course not. That would be… weird. Avoiding someone she had known since birth? Someone she had spent endless summer afternoons with, building ridiculous forts out of pillows and pretending to be royalty in their own little kingdom? Pfft. Ridiculous. She wasn’t avoiding Henry.

It was just that the universe—yes, she was blaming the entire universe for this—had a strange sense of humor. She hadn’t thought about him in ages, at least not in any serious, heart-pounding way. Sure, there were a few odd dreams during her late teens (those were totally normal, right?), but she wasn’t the type to get all hung up on childhood friends. Especially him.

Except now, standing in front of her was the real-life Henry Ashford. The same Henry who had been a part of every childhood memory, every birthday party, and every embarrassing school project. The same Henry who had once made her a necklace out of clover flowers when they were ten and then immediately ruined it by forgetting where he put it (it had probably fallen into the lake, she never really knew). The same Henry who had disappeared off to a fancy boarding school, leaving her to wonder if she’d ever see him again.

And now, here he was. Taller. Smarter. Ridiculously good-looking. Wearing a well-tailored blazer like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Great. Just great.

“Ellie?” A familiar voice broke through her internal panic.

She froze.

It was him.

Her heart did a little hop, and before she could stop it, she spun around. There, standing a few feet away, was Henry. His brown eyes were framed by messy hair, and there was a slight smirk on his lips that made Ellie’s pulse spike, though she couldn’t entirely understand why. Probably because that smirk meant he knew her better than anyone else. Probably because he was the only person in the world who knew just how many times she had tripped over her own feet while trying to impress him as a child.

“Henry,” she said, her voice a little too high-pitched for her liking. “Wow. Uh, it’s been… what, seven years?”

“Seven years, three months, and four days,” he replied smoothly, pushing his hands into his pockets. “But who’s counting, right?”

Ellie couldn’t help but smile despite herself. That was so Henry. He had always kept track of dates—everything had a precise timeline for him. She, on the other hand, couldn’t remember her own birthday half the time, let alone how many days had passed since they last spoke.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t say something like that,” she teased. “I’m still trying to get over the shock of you actually recognizing me after all this time.”

Henry’s grin widened, a glint of something mischievous in his eyes. “You haven’t changed that much, Ellie. Same messy hair, same overcaffeinated vibe,” he said, gesturing to the half-empty coffee cup in her hand. “And still running into people like it’s your job.”

Ellie’s cheeks flushed, but she shrugged nonchalantly, letting her messiness be a part of her charm. “Hey, what can I say? I’m memorable.”

“Definitely,” he said with a wink.

There it was again—the wink. The same one that had made her feel like a ridiculously giddy teenager all those years ago. She resisted the urge to fan herself.

“Uh, how are you?” she blurted out, mentally facepalming at her lack of better conversational skills. But, in her defense, it had been seven years! Seven long years!

“I’m doing well,” Henry said, with a casualness that felt almost too natural. “How’s uni life treating you? Still managing to burn the kitchen down every week?”

Ellie nearly choked on her sip of coffee, thankful she didn’t end up spitting it all over him. “I, uh, am not burning the kitchen down anymore,” she said, pointing her coffee cup at him like it was a weapon. “That was a one-time thing. Two, max.”

Henry raised an eyebrow. “If I recall correctly, it was three, but who’s counting?”

Ellie narrowed her eyes. “Okay, fine. It was three. But we’re never talking about it again.”

Henry chuckled, and the sound of it—deep, amused—made Ellie’s heart flutter in a way she hadn’t anticipated. Was this how it felt? Seeing someone again after so many years? After all the awkward silence, all the unspoken things? Was this how people accidentally fell for each other?

He had always been good at making her laugh, but this felt different. There was a layer of familiarity in the way they talked, as if no time had passed at all. And yet, everything had changed. They were both older, wiser (or at least, she hoped she was), and… different. There was no denying that.

“So, do you want to grab a coffee or something?” Henry asked, as if he had read her thoughts. “It’s been forever, and I feel like we’re overdue for a proper catch-up.”

Ellie blinked at him. “Um. Sure. Yeah. Coffee sounds great.”