CHAPTER 0026- Jake

Jake texted me that night.

I was already in bed, scrolling without reading anything, when my phone lit up with a number I hadn’t deleted.

Jake: Didn’t think I’d run into you today.

Jake: You looked good. Different, but good.

I stared at the messages for a long time before typing back.

Riley: Didn’t expect to see you either.

Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.

Jake: Who was the guy?

Jake: The one who looked like he wanted to set me on fire.

I hesitated.

Riley: Chloe’s dad.

Jake: Ah.

Jake: Protective?

Riley: Something like that.

There was a longer pause this time. Then:

Jake: You free tomorrow?

My stomach tightened. I knew Chloe had a double shift and then plans after. Elias had mentioned a full day of meetings across town. The house would be empty from morning until at least early evening.

I typed before I could talk myself out of it.

Riley: I might be. Why?

Jake: Thought we could talk. Properly. No audience.

Riley: About what?

Jake: About how weird it was seeing you. About how I still think about you sometimes. About whether you’re actually happy or just good at looking like it.

I bit the inside of my cheek.

Riley: You’re seeing someone.

Jake: It’s new. And not serious.

Jake: Come on, Riley. One conversation. I’ll bring coffee. We can sit on the porch like normal people if you want.

I looked at the dark ceiling of the guest room. Somewhere down the hall Elias was probably already asleep. Or not. I didn’t check.

Riley: Fine. Around noon. Don’t make it weird.

Jake: No promises.

He sent a location pin for a coffee place near the house, then added:

Jake: Or I can just come to you. Whatever’s easier.

I thought about the empty house. About how long it had been since anything felt simple.

Riley: Just come here. I’ll be alone.

Jake: Perfect.

Jake: Sleep well.

I didn’t.

The next day the house emptied out exactly like I expected.

Chloe left early, yelling something about overtime and drinks afterward. Elias followed an hour later in a clean shirt and the watch he only wore for important meetings. He paused in the doorway of the kitchen where I was nursing a coffee.

“You’ll be alright on your own?”

“Yeah.”

He looked at me a second longer than necessary, then nodded and left. The garage door rumbled shut. Silence settled over the house.

Jake showed up at 12:07 with two coffees and the same half-smile he’d worn at the park.

“Hey,” he said when I opened the door.

“Hey.”

He stepped inside like he’d done it a hundred times before, even though he’d only been here once years ago when Chloe threw a party. He handed me a cup. Our fingers brushed.

We ended up in the living room. I sat on the couch. He took the chair across from me at first, then moved to the other end of the couch after a few minutes, close enough that I could smell his cologne.

He asked about school. About what I’d been doing. I gave careful answers. He told me about the girl from the park — how it wasn’t anything real, how he’d mostly been going through the motions since we ended. I didn’t know if I believed him. I also didn’t know if I cared.

At some point the conversation drifted closer to the edge of things we used to talk about. He leaned in a little. I didn’t lean away. His knee brushed mine. Neither of us moved.

“I meant what I said last night,” he said quietly. “You do look different. More… settled. Or maybe just harder to read.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“It’s an observation.” His eyes dropped to my mouth for half a second. “I’ve missed talking to you.”

I should have stood up. Should have put space between us. Instead I stayed where I was, coffee cooling in my hands, the house too quiet around us.

Jake set his cup down on the table. When he looked back at me there was less of the careful distance he’d been maintaining.

“Riley—”

The front door opened.

We both froze.

Footsteps in the entryway. The soft sound of keys being set down. Then Elias’s voice, casual, calling out:

“Forgot the file I need for the afternoon meeting—”

He stepped into the living room and stopped dead.

His eyes moved from me to Jake, still too close on the couch, the two coffee cups, the charged quiet that had nothing to do with old friends catching up. Something cold and sharp settled over his expression.

Jake straightened but didn’t stand. I couldn’t move at all.

Elias stood in the doorway, file forgotten in his hand, looking at the exact picture we’d made.

No one said anything.