Shea didn't realize how loud silence could be until she was sitting alone in her apartment again, the glow of her phone casting sharp shadows against the walls. She hadn't turned on the lights right away.
Her bag lay abandoned by the door, keys still inside. She stood in the middle of the room, shoes on, jacket half-slipped from one shoulder, staring down at her screen like it might change its mind if she waited long enough.
It didn't.
Another notification slid into view.
Another article.
Another angle of the same lunch.
Theodore smiling. Relaxed and familiar. And she, caught mid-motion, fork lifted, eyes turned just enough for strangers to decide who she was supposed to be.
Galatasaray Captain Spotted With The Same Mystery Woman - Again.
Again.
Her throat tightened.
She scrolled despite herself, the way people touched bruises they knew would hurt.
Comments blurred together.
She's pretty.
Definitely the same girl from last week.
Is she famous?
Who is she?
Lucky.
