I can come by for lunch
I can stay for a bit
Erin replies almost immediately.
ERIN
Perfect
See you at one
I exhale slowly, telling myself it will be okay.
It’s time to move on.
I get therea few minutes early.
Giulia sits far enough off campus that it feels like a choice, not an extension of the ceremony. I walk from the T, the afternoon bright and cheerful, sidewalks spilling over with families wearing fragments of commencement—heels kicked off, gowns folded over arms, bouquets wilting in the heat.
Inside, the restaurant hums. Linen, glassware, the lowthrum of conversation. Ordinary life continuing on schedule.
They’re seated at a long table near the window. Erin’s back is to me, Sophie beside her, leaning in close, laughing. Mary sits across from them, hands folded around a water glass, posture open and attentive. Liam and Dmitri anchor the ends of the table, jackets off, mid-argument about the best beach in Croatia.
Kieran sits halfway down, turned toward Erin, listening.
He’s present in a way I don’t remember, contained and grounded. I knew he’d be here. It’s his graduation. That knowledge doesn’t stop my pulse from kicking when he looks up and his gaze finds mine.
For half a second, I expect him to stand. To cross the space and greet me as if we’re something, as if the last few months never happened. My heart reacts, sharp and involuntary, staging a riot in my chest.
His chair scrapes back.
He starts to rise, and my whole nervous system tilts out of whack. For a split second, I see it clearly: him crossing the space, pulling me into a hug as if we’re something. As if the months didn’t happen. As if my heart didn’t learn better.
Then he stops.
He drops back into his seat, jaw tightening briefly. His hands flatten on the table, palms down. When he looks at me again, there’s no smile. No reach. No attempt to close the space.
He waits.
Erin turns, follows his gaze, and her face lights up. “Wren!”
Mary is on her feet immediately. “I’m so glad you could make it,” she says taking my hands, warm and decisive.
“Me too,” Sophie adds, enveloping me into a hug. “Congratulations on surviving finals. I have one exam left before freedom.”
“My brain’s already checked out.” I manage a small smile. My voice sounds…normal. Steadier than I expected.
Liam grins, lacing his fingers with Sophie’s. “Anyone who survives engineering or Anatomy 101 deserves a medal.”
Dmitri inclines his head, his smile easy and sincere. “Good to see you.”
Kieran stays seated. He watches all of it without inserting himself, without trying to pull the focus back to him. When Mary gestures toward the open chair across from him, I hesitate for a fraction of a second.
Then I sit.
He looks at me and says quietly, “Wren.”
The way he says my name acknowledges the space between us. The color of his voice comes through deep steel blue, violet at the edges.
