Chapter 3

The lights inside were blindingly bright.

A steaming pot of beef stew sat in the middle of the living room table, surrounded by platters of mashed potatoes, fresh bread, and a colorful assortment of vegetables.

Five people were scattered across the couch and dining chairs.

Three women and two men all turned to look at me at once.

Jayda stood by the kitchen doorway, holding a platter of freshly sliced watermelon.

"Honey? Aren't you supposed to be back next week?"

A tall guy sitting at the head of the table stood up with a beer can clutched in his hand.

It was Bryce Sharpe, Jayda's classmate from college.

Startled, Bryce paused for a second before bursting into a loud laugh as if realizing what was going on.

"Hey, Cedric! Long time no see!"

The other friends around the table joined in the laughter, instantly breaking the tension.

"Cedric, Jayda was just complaining in our group chat about how you're always away on business trips and never home, and here you come dropping in out of nowhere!"

"Come sit down, Cedric! Perfect timing. The stew just started boiling!"

Jayda snapped back to reality. She set the fruit tray on the table and trotted over to the entryway.

She reached out to take my soaked blazer, her brow slightly furrowed and her eyes filled with genuine concern and gentle reproach.

"How did you get so drenched? Didn't you say you couldn't step away from Halewyn?"

Her warm hand brushed against my cheek, carrying the faint scent of her citrus perfume.

My nerves, stretched so tight they had been on the verge of snapping, suddenly went slack.

A massive wave of exhaustion and humiliation washed over me.

How had I turned into such a paranoid, pathetic madman?

"The project… hit an unexpected snag, so I didn't need to stay on site anymore." I heard my own voice, dry like sandpaper.

"I wanted to give you a surprise, so I didn't call ahead."

Jayda burst into a chuckle, then took my hand and pulled me inside.

I ended up downing a whole case of beer with Bryce and the others.

I threw back drinks relentlessly, trying to drown out the absurdity and self-reproach from moments earlier with alcohol.

The gathering dragged on until past 1:00 am.

Once our friends left, the place was a complete disaster area.

As I helped Jayda clean up the leftover food on the table, I wrapped my arms around her slender waist from behind.

"Jayda, you must be exhausted."

Jayda turned around, teasingly tapping the tip of my nose. "Silly, it was nothing."

She leaned naturally against my chest, listening to my still-erratic heartbeat.

"Jayden ended up going on a road trip with his girlfriend today. I almost went along, but he told me not to ruin his date. I figured I'd be bored at home alone, so I called a few old classmates over."

I buried my face deep into the crook of her neck, breathing in that familiar scent as the final shred of doubt inside me vanished into thin air.

That night, I fell into a deep, heavy sleep.