I push open the door with a smile already forming on my face, ready to surprise him, and then I stop, the smile freezing on my face before it fully forms.
Theo and Victoria are at the bar.
They’re sitting close together on adjacent stools, their bodies angled toward each other, their faces serious and intent in the low light. Victoria is saying something, leaning in, and Theo is nodding, his expression focused and attentive in a way that makes my stomach clench. They look comfortable together. Intimate. Like people who know each other deeply, who share a history and a language I’ll never fully understand.
And Victoria’s hand is resting on Theo’s arm like it belongs there.
The door swings shut behind me with a soft thud, and the sound breaks whatever moment they were having. Theo looks up, and when he sees me, his whole face transforms. The serious expression melts into something bright and warm, his eyes lighting up with that unmistakable joy he always shows when I appear, and he’s on his feet immediately, crossing the space between us in a few long strides like he can’t wait another second to be close to me.
“Emma,” he says, and there’s so much warmth in my name that some of the knot in my stomach loosens. “Hey. What are you doing here?”
He pulls me into a kiss before I can answer, his mouth warmand certain against mine. It feels like reassurance and greeting all at once, like he’s telling me something important with his body that words couldn’t capture. Like he wants me to know without any doubt that I’m the one he wants to be kissing right now.
I kiss him back, letting myself sink into the familiar comfort of his arms, but I’m hyperaware of Victoria watching us from her barstool. Of the way she’s witnessing this moment between us with an expression I can’t read from this angle.
Theo pulls back but keeps his arm around my waist, holding me close against his side as we walk back toward the bar. The gesture feels possessive and protective and maybe just slightly performative, though I might be imagining that last part. My mind is spinning too fast to trust my own interpretations right now.
Victoria gives an awkward little wave, a smile on her face that could be friendly or could be something else entirely. “Hi, Emma,” she says, her voice light and pleasant. “Good to see you again.”
“Hi.” I manage to keep my voice steady, neutral. “Nice to see you too.”
“I was just catching up with Theo,” she says, and there’s something in her tone that feels like she’s explaining herself, justifying her presence here. “Telling him about possibly moving back to Dark River. To be closer to Chloe.”
The words land in my chest like stones dropped into still water, sending ripples out in every direction.
Victoria moving back to Dark River.Being around all the time instead of just showing up for scheduled visits. Picking Chloe up from school, having coffee with Theo to discuss co-parenting logistics, inserting herself back into their lives permanently. Not just a weekend visitor or an occasional presence but a constant, unavoidable part of the landscape I’ve been building my future in.
I feel Theo’s arm tighten slightly around my waist, a smallgesture of reassurance that I appreciate even as my mind races through all the implications of what Victoria just said. I force my expression to stay neutral, pleasant, supportive. All the things a good girlfriend should be when her boyfriend’s ex-wife announces she’s planning to relocate to the same small town.
“That sounds nice,” I say, and I’m proud of how steady my voice comes out, how normal I sound even though nothing about this feels normal. “Chloe would probably love having you closer.”
“That’s the hope,” Victoria agrees, and something in her expression suggests she knows exactly how loaded this moment is. Exactly how much she’s just dropped into my lap.
She stands, gathering her purse from the bar like she’s preparing to leave, and I feel a small wave of relief at the thought of her exiting this conversation. But then she pauses, turns to look at me directly, and something in her expression shifts into something more vulnerable, more uncertain than the polished confidence I’ve come to expect from her.
“Actually,” she says, “before I go. Emma, I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
“Oh,” I manage, scrambling to find my footing in a conversation that keeps shifting underneath me. “I don’t think you did anything.”
Victoria shakes her head, and to my surprise, she actually looks uncomfortable. “No, I was kind of bratty to you at the pickup line the other day,” she says, her voice quieter. “I know I was. I wasn’t expecting to feel territorial, but I did, and I took it out on you with some catty comments that were completely uncalled for. I’ve been feeling terrible about it ever since, and I wanted to apologize. You didn’t deserve that.”
Part of me feels vindicated by the admission, a petty satisfaction at having my instincts confirmed. I knew I wasn’t imagining the mean-girl vibes. I knew those comments were pointed, even when I tried to convince myself I was being oversensitive.
But Victoria also seems sincere in this moment. Genuinely uncomfortable and regretful. And Theo’s hand is warm and supportive against my waist, grounding me.
I manage a smile that I hope looks gracious rather than forced. “There’s nothing to forgive. I probably would have acted the same way under the circumstances.”
It’s not entirely true. I pride myself on usually being a pretty kind person, and I’m still a little annoyed about the whole thing. But I’m trying to be an adult about this situation, trying to handle it with grace for Theo’s sake and for Chloe’s. Be the kind of person who doesn’t hold grudges.
Victoria looks relieved by my response. “I appreciate that,” she says. “Really. More than you know.”
She turns to Theo, and her expression softens into something wistful and complicated that makes me want to look away. “It was really good talking to you tonight,” she says, her voice warm in a way that feels too intimate for a conversation between co-parents. “I’ll text you about the schedule for next week.”
She reaches out and squeezes his arm, a gesture that’s friendly on the surface but lasts just slightly too long.
I watch it happen. Watch the familiarity of the touch, the ease with which she reaches for him. And I don’t love it. But I stay quiet, keep my expression neutral, because this isn’t the moment to make a scene. It isn’t the time to let my insecurities show.
“You too, Victoria,” Theo says, offering her a polite smile. “Drive safe.”
