I didn’t go home right away.
The car slowed near Gabby’s café, and before the driver could even ask, I leaned forward. “You can stop here.”
He glanced at me through the mirror. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said. “Thank you.”
The door closed behind me with a soft thud, and just like that, the car disappeared into traffic, taking the quiet calm of Ethan’s presence with it.
As I stood there for a moment, phone in my hand, the screen lighting up again.
Buzz.
Buzz.
I didn’t even bother silencing it. I was too tired to pretend I wasn’t avoiding anything.
Gabby’s café looked the same as always—warm lights, open windows, the smell of coffee and baked bread drifting into the street. It felt familiar in a way that wrapped around my chest.
Gabby wasn’t just a café owner. She’d been around since
