He stood just inside the doorway, one hand still on the handle, a small smile pulling at his mouth like he already knew he was about to get a reaction out of me.And I did react.
I smiled because I was happy to see him.
That part was real.
“Hey,” I said, stepping closer to the counter.
“Hey yourself,” he replied, walking toward me.
He moved easy.Confident.Not flashy, not trying too hard.Just… steady.Like he knew who he was and didn’t need to prove it to anyone.
That should’ve done something to me.
Something big.
Something noticeable.
But it didn’t.Not the way it did when someone else walked into a room.
I shoved that thought away before it could fully form.
Nope, not doing that when Jesse was standing right in front of me.
Jesse leaned his forearms on the counter, looking at me like I was the only thing worth paying attention to in the room.
“You miss me?”he asked, voice low, a hint of teasing in it.
I huffed out a small laugh.“You’ve been gone, what, four days?”
“Felt longer,” he said.
That was… smooth.
I smiled again, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.“How was your trip?”
He shrugged one shoulder, like it hadn’t been anything worth talking about.“Good.Saw some old friends.”
“That’s nice,” I said.“Where’d you go?”
“Out of town.”
I waited.That was it.That was all he gave me.
“Out of town,” I repeated.
“Yeah.”
Okay then.Cool.
I grabbed a rag and wiped down the already clean counter just to have something to do with my hands.“What did you guys do?”I asked, trying again.
“Just hung out.Caught up.”
Another dead end.
I glanced up at him, studying his face for a second.He didn’t look uncomfortable.Didn’t look like he was hiding something.Just… not offering anything.Which was… weird.
“Sounds fun,” I said anyway.
