"Stolen food always tastes better. It's science." Annabelle grinned, then tilted her head, studying Raven. "You're quiet. More than usual, I mean. What's wrong? Regrets sneaking up on you?"
Raven set down her fork. She should have known Annabelle would notice. The woman noticed everything. She blew out a breath. She couldn’t let her think that she was having regrets.Last night was the first thing she hadn’t regretted in a very long time. Which meant that she had to tell the truth.
"My old bandmates called today," she said. "They want to do a reunion tour."
Annabelle's eyes widened. "Oh. That's… that's a big deal, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Massive venues, huge money, the whole package."
"And?" Annabelle prompted gently.
"And I told them no." Raven reached for her water. "I'm not interested. I'm doing solo work now. I meant what I said about leaving that behind."
"Okay." Annabelle nodded slowly. "How do you feel about it?"
"Fine. I feel fine."
It was a lie, and they both knew it. But Raven couldn't quite articulate the unease churning in her gut, the way Henry’s words kept echoing in her head.You're hiding out. You need the pressure. You're not going to write a comeback album in some cottage.
What if he was right? What if she was just running away, hiding from the world instead of facing it?
She glanced at Annabelle, who was watching her with that open, trusting expression, and felt something twist inside her.
"It's fine," Raven said again, more firmly this time. "Really. It's not something I want."
Annabelle smiled, but there was something tentative about it, something that suggested she didn't entirely believe the reassurance. "Alright. If you're sure."
"I'm sure."
They finished dinner, and Annabelle insisted on washing up while Raven put away the leftovers. It should have felt easy, domestic, comfortable. But Raven couldn't shake the weight pressing down on her shoulders.
After they'd cleaned up, Annabelle stood up, muttering something about needing to finalize the skit.
"You don't have to do that now," Raven said. "You look exhausted."
"I'm fine," Annabelle said brightly, in exactly the same tone Raven had used earlier. "Just need to get this sorted. Gloria wants it by tomorrow, and I promised the children we'd start rehearsing."
"Then do it here," Raven said, suddenly reluctant to let her go. "Sit on the couch and work here so I can keep an eye on you and send you to bed early."
Annabelle got her bag and her laptop and was just settling on the couch when her phone buzzed. She glanced at it and groaned.
"Gloria again?" Raven guessed.
"Gloria again." Annabelle set the phone face-down on the coffee table with more force than necessary. "She wants to add another musical number. Because apparently a skit isn't enough. We need more songs now."
"Tell her no."
"I can't just tell her no. She's been helping with the fundraiser, and she's very enthusiastic, and…" Annabelle rubbed her eyes. "Sorry. I'm being ridiculous. It's fine. Everything's fine."
Raven studied her, the way Annabelle kept saying everything was fine when it clearly wasn't, the dark circles under her eyes, the tension in her jaw.
"You're allowed to not be fine, you know," Raven said quietly.
Annabelle looked up at her, surprised. Then she laughed, but it sounded tired. "That's rich, coming from you."
"Yeah, well. Do as I say, not as I do."
Annabelle's expression softened. She reached over and took Raven's hand, threading their fingers together. "We're quite a pair, aren't we? Both terrible at admitting when things are hard."
