Chapter 16 #3
He spoke with the same effortless confidence that had fooled so many people, laughing with the hosts as though he had never done a terrible thing in his life.
My chest tightened before I could stop it.
It amazed me how quickly my body remembered what my mind worked so hard to leave behind.
The sound of his voice still had the power to pull me backward.
The sight of his face still made every muscle in my body tense.
For so long I had convinced myself I was over it.
I had spent years going to therapy, piecing my life back together, learning how to laugh without forcing it, and slowly allowing myself to trust people again, but seeing him standing there on that television reminded me that healing does not erase what happened, and forgetting had never been part of the process.
I had walked away carrying memories that still found ways to follow me years later.
The unfairness of it all settled over me like a weight I hadn't realized I was still carrying.
For the first time, I admitted something to myself that I had been too afraid to say out loud.
I forced myself to look away from the screen.
Focused on my breathing.
On the steady motion of running.
Eventually the tension eased enough for me to finish my workout.
Afterward I headed upstairs, letting the hot water from the shower wash away the last of the frustration clinging to my shoulders.
By the time I stepped out wrapped in a towel, my mind felt clearer.
I changed into comfortable clothes and curled up on the couch with Atlas, letting the quiet of the apartment settle around me again.
Just as I started to relax, my phone buzzed.
Cal.
I answered.
“Hey.”
“Hey kid,” he said easily. “What are you up to tonight?”
“Nothing exciting.”
Cal’s voice was calm on the other end of the phone.
“Just checking in on you,” he said. “How are you feeling?”
I leaned back into the couch, Atlas curled beside my hip.
“I’m fine,” I answered easily.
“Everything good?”
“Yeah.”
There was a pause.
Cal had always had a way of listening between the lines, like he could hear the things I didn’t say out loud.
For a moment I wondered if I should tell him about Darren Hill being back in the spotlight again. About seeing his face on the television in the gym earlier.
But I didn’t.
Cal had carried enough guilt about that night already.
I wasn’t about to reopen that door.
“I’m really okay,” I reassured him.
He sighed softly.
“Alright. Just making sure.”
We talked for another minute about nothing in particular before he let me go for the evening.
By the time I hung up, the sky outside the windows had shifted into the soft blue of early evening.
It had to be close to seven.
Just as I was getting up to grab something to drink, the intercom buzzed from the wall near the door.
I frowned and walked over, pressing the button.
“Hello?”
“Evening, Ms. Sinclair," the guard downstairs said. “You have a delivery.”
“A delivery?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Confused, I hesitated for a second.
“You can let them up.”
A few minutes later there was a knock at the door.
When I opened it, the delivery driver handed over a large bag of food, a beautiful long box of roses, and a small white cake box tied with a ribbon.
I blinked.
“Well… alright.”
After tipping the driver, I carried everything inside and set it on the kitchen counter.
The roses were stunning when I lifted the lid. Deep red and full, arranged perfectly.
Next I peeked into the cake box.
A small chocolate cake sat inside, decorated simply but elegantly. It looked almost too good to eat.
I smiled to myself.
He’s spoiling me.
I grabbed my phone and tapped his name.
A second later the FaceTime call connected.
Jalen’s face filled the screen.
He looked slightly out of breath, sweat glistening across his forehead. The gym lights above him gave his skin that warm glow athletes seemed to carry around naturally.
Apparently I had caught him in the middle of a workout.
The second he saw me, his face lit up.
“Well there she is.”
I lifted the roses into the camera.
“You didn’t have to send me all of this.”
He shook his head immediately.
“Stop telling me what I don’t have to do.”
His voice was firm but playful.
“I wanted to.”
Something about the way he said it sent a small ripple of warmth through me.
I leaned against the counter, trying not to smile too much.
“Well… thank you.”
“You like it?”
“The cake alone might make me emotional.”
He laughed, running a towel across the back of his neck.
“I’m finishing up my workout,” he said. “But I wanted to ask you something.”
“Okay.”
He leaned closer to the camera slightly.
“Can I take you out on a real date Friday night?”
I raised an eyebrow.
“A real date?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Official.”
I thought about it for a second.
Technically the entire world already thought we were together anyway.
And the truth was… I was actually looking forward to it.
I smiled.
“What time?”
His grin widened immediately.
“So that’s a yes?”
“Yes.”
“Good,” he said. “I’ll handle the rest.”
As the call ended, I looked down at the roses sitting on my counter.
Then at the cake.
Then back at my phone.
And for the first time in a long time, the thought of Friday night made my heart beat a little faster in the best possible way.