"What?"
"What is this? Between us. If you don't need anyone, what am I?"
The question hangs in the air. Heavy. Impossible.
I open my mouth. Close it. Can't find words that don't sound like lies or admissions I'm not ready to make.
Grath nods slowly. Like I've confirmed something he already suspected.
"Right," he says. "That's what I thought."
He turns toward the door.
Panic spikes through me. Sharp and sudden.
"Where are you going?"
"Giving you space. Like you asked."
"Grath, wait?—"
But he's already moving. Already leaving. The door chimes as he walks out, and then he's gone.
I am at the empty café. Breathing hard. Hands still shaking.
Pebble meows from somewhere behind the counter. The sound is plaintive. Questioning.
I sink onto the nearest stool. Drop my head into my hands.
What did I just do?
The next morning,I wake up to seventeen missed calls.
Half from my best friend Sienna. The rest from numbers I don't recognize.
I ignore all of them. Make coffee. Burn toast. Feed Pebble, who headbutts my ankle like she's trying to trip me on purpose.
"He'll come back," I tell her. "He's just. Taking space. Like I asked."
She meows. It sounds judgmental.
"Don't look at me like that. You're a cat. You don't understand human relationships."
Another meow. Definitely judgmental this time.
I'm on my third cup of coffee when I hear voices outside.
Not unusual. The café sits on a busy corner. But these voices are close. Right outside the window.
I peer through the glass.
Mrs. Boris from two doors down is talking to Grath. She's gesturing animatedly. He's nodding, face carefully neutral.
Then she hugs him.
It's brief. Maternal. The kind of hug you give someone when you're worried about them.
Grath pats her back awkwardly. Says something I can't hear. Mrs. Boris nods, pats his arm, and walks away.
