Cecily woke up early.
The room was quiet, too quiet. For a moment, she forgot where she was. Then everything from last night came rushing back.
Ethan.
Seeing him again after all these years.
Her heart felt heavy.
She sat up on the bed and rubbed her face. Sleep had barely touched her. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face, heard his voice saying her name like it still meant something.
She checked the time.
6:30 a.m.
Too early.
Her phone was beside her pillow. She picked it up without thinking, hoping for something she didn't even understand.
Nothing.
No messages.
She dropped the phone back on the bed and sighed.
Why did she even expect one?
Cecily stood up and walked to the window. The city outside was already awake. Cars moved, people walked fast like they had places to be. Like life hadn't paused just because her past showed up again.
She got dressed slowly.
She didn't care much about how she looked today.
Downstairs, she bought coffee and sat alone at a corner table. The coffee tasted bitter, but she drank it anyway.
Her mind kept going back to the same question.
What if things had been different?
She shook her head.
It was too late for that.
Her phone rang.
Mara.
She answered immediately.
"You didn't call last night," Mara said.
"I couldn't," Cecily replied. "I saw him."
There was a pause.
"And?"
"He was married. Or… separated. I'm not sure."
"That must have hurt."
"It did," Cecily said softly. "But seeing him again hurt more."
"Do you still have feelings for him?"
Cecily looked down at her hands.
"I thought I didn't," she said. "Now I'm not so sure."
Ethan hadn't slept either.
He sat on his bed, staring at the floor like it had answers. The apartment felt empty, colder than usual.
Seeing Cecily again had opened wounds he thought were healed.
He picked up his phone and opened his emails. He didn't know why. Maybe he was just looking for proof that he hadn't imagined everything.
That was when he saw it.
An old email.
From her.
Five years ago.
Unread.
His chest tightened.
He read it once.
Then again.
She had waited for him. She had tried to explain. And he had never replied not because he didn't care, but because he never saw it.
"So this is how we broke," he muttered.
He typed a message.
Deleted it.
Typed again.
Deleted again.
He didn't know what to say.
Later that afternoon, Cecily walked around the city.
She didn't have a plan. She just needed air.
Everywhere she went reminded her of him. Places they had been together. Places she had avoided for years.
Her phone vibrated.
A message.
Ethan.
If you're free later, maybe we can talk. If you don't want to, I understand.
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
She was leaving tomorrow.
She shouldn't do this.
But her heart didn't listen.
Coffee. One hour, she replied.
They met at a small café.
Nothing special. Quiet. Safe.
Ethan was already there when she arrived. He stood up when he saw her, then sat back down awkwardly.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi."
They ordered and sat across from each other.
Neither knew how to start.
"I found your email," Ethan finally said.
Her breath caught.
"You did?"
"I never saw it before," he said. "If I had… things would've been different."
"I waited," she whispered.
"I know. I'm sorry."
Silence fell between them.
"I'm engaged," Cecily said suddenly.
He nodded. "I know."
"I don't want to ruin anything."
"I don't want to ruin you," he replied.
They looked at each other, both thinking the same thing but saying nothing.
Time had passed.
But feelings hadn't.
And that scared them both.