My smile fades. I look at the sticky note again, then out the window at the morning light. "Nothing. Really. It's… it's good."
"You're lying."
I drag a hand down my face. "I'm not lying. I'm just…" I trail off.
"Scared," Wren finishes for me.
"Yeah. Maybe."
"Of what?"
I hesitate. I could deflect, but it's Wren. She'll just dig her heels in and drag it out of me anyway. "I don't have an exit plan anymore."
"Because you turned down Dubai?"
"Because I turned down Dubai, and because I actuallywantto be here." I pace a few steps toward the living room, running a hand through my hair. "My relationship with Sam is both professional and personal now. I'm used to having a safety net. I'm used to being able to leave when things get messy."
"And?"
"And now I can't. If I screw this up—if I panic and pull back the way I usually do—the consequences are everywhere. I can't just disappear from the personal side and keep the work clean. It's all tangled together. I'm terrified I'm going to ruin the project, prove I'm not built for staying, and hurt her in the process."
Silence.
When she finally speaks, her voice is steady. "You kissed her."
It's not a question.
I close my eyes. "How did you—"
"Because I know you. And you sound different." Her voice softens, losing its edge. "You kissed her, and now you're terrified because there is no turning back."
"Yeah."
"Good. Be terrified. But don't run." She drops into her tough-love voice, the one that means absolutely zero argument. "You've spent your whole life pulling back the second things get real. Don't do it this time. If you're scared, you tell her. Not me. You stay in the room and you say, 'I'm scared.' That's the new pattern."
I nod, staring blindly at the floorboards. "I know."
"Do you?"
"I'm trying."
"Try harder." She pauses. Her voice shifts back to business. "She's good for you, Tommy. Don't let your fear ruin this."
"I wo—"
Before I can finish the word, a text notification drops down from the top of my screen.
Sam
Can we talk?
My stomach drops straight to the floor. I pull the phone away to look at the screen, then press it back to my ear. "Wren. Have you been texting Sam on the side?"
"What?" She sounds genuinely confused. "No. About what?"
"About the fact that we should talk."
"Why would I text her that?"
