No. If I did that, I'd oversleep. Better just get up now.
I rubbed a hand over my face. Why did I still feel so tired? I went to bed at my normal time.
When I felt a little more awake, I headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. The hot water helped clear the fog from my head, and I let myself zone out for a few minutes. Once I was dressed, I grabbed my things and headed out.
The mild morning air woke me up a bit more as I walked to the deli where Eli and I had agreed to meet. It was the same spot where we used to hang out as teenagers, though it had changed a bit over the years. New paint, new tables, but the same familiar scent of baked goods and sandwiches met me as soon as I stepped inside.
I spotted Eli right away, sitting by the window with a mug of coffee in front of him. He looked up when I walked in and flashed me a grin. "Morning!"
I slid into the seat across from him. "You're chipper today. Must've slept well."
"Like a rock."
I smiled, trying to shake off the lingering sleepiness. I didn't want my bad night to interfere with my time with him. We didn't often get to just sit down and talk, and I wanted to make the most of it. Despite that, I had to stifle a yawn.
Eli took a sip of his coffee and gave me a curious look over the mug. "You sure you're awake? You look like you need another hour of sleep. Or a lot of caffeine."
I huffed a small laugh. "Yeah, maybe. Just didn't sleep great, I guess."
He nodded but didn't press the issue. After a moment, he leaned back in his seat with a lopsided grin. "So. Marcus, huh?"
I tensed. "What about him?"
"I'm just curious. How's that going? You two been together long?"
I did my best to keep my voice even. "A few months.He's ... attentive. Thoughtful, actually."
"Yeah? Sounds like he's looking out for you."
"He does. It's ... nice."
"Good. Glad to hear it."
I tried not to read too much into his tone, but the way he said all of that made me pause. Eli didn't usually pry about my relationships, and for a second, I wondered why he was so curious about Marcus. He was probably just trying to make small talk, but it still felt a little off.
"Why do you ask?" Though I did my best to keep my words casual, I heard a hint of defensiveness creep in.
If Eli noticed, he didn't let on. "Just a little surprised. I didn't realise you were seeing anyone. You usually mention that kind of thing."
"Yeah, well... It's still kind of new. I didn't think it was worth mentioning yet."
He nodded, and an awkward quiet set in. I wasn't sure why I felt uncomfortable all of a sudden, but the way Eli kept glancing at me made me feel like he was trying to figure something out.
Before I could ask, he broke the silence with a smile. "You look good, though. Happier than the last time I saw you."
That comment got to me in a way I didn't expect. "You think so?"
"Yeah. You seem more settled."
For some reason, that made my face warm. It almost felt like I'd been caught moving on when I wasn't supposed to. Eli would never see me that way, though, and I knew that. I came to terms with it a long time ago.
At least, I thought I had. Hearing him acknowledge that I seemed more settled, like I'd finally gotten my life together without him being the centre of it, made my chest tighten.
I cleared my throat. "You know what? I think I do need caffeine. Be right back." I pushed away from the table andheaded for the counter before he could say anything. I needed a minute to get my head on straight.
When I came back with my drink, Eli took the conversation elsewhere. The earlier tension seemed to fade as we moved on to lighter topics – work, school memories, the kind of banter we'd always fall into whenever we met up.
Eli had a way of making me forget about everything else when we talked, pulling me back into the comfort of our friendship like no time had passed. We laughed about the dumb things we did as teenagers, like Eli sneaking into the cinema while I was working and getting caught by the owner. He was never good at sneaking around, especially when his loud, uncontrollable laughter gave him away.
