Semua Bab After Hours: Bab 51 - Bab 60

Chapter Fifty-Four: Johnny – Five Years LaterJohnny’s POVShe didn’t look like a girl anymore.She looked like a woman—his woman, in another life. In this life, maybe just the mother of his son. But either way, watching her move through the kitchen now, barefoot and calm, he couldn’t stop thinking—Damn, she’s beautiful.Her hair was longer than it used to be, pulled up in a lazy knot that somehow made her look softer and more dangerous at the same time. She wore an old T-shirt knotted at the waist, her curves more pronounced now, like she’d grown into her body and her strength at the same time. Her voice was steadier. Her movements more confident.But those blue eyes?Still the same.Still the ones that had wrecked him the first time he ever saw her behind that sticky bar top, mouthing off with a smirk while pouring tequila like she’d been born to stir up trouble.He had spent six months going to that bar just to sit close to her.Now here he was—in her kitchen, the scent of coffee

Chapter Fifty-Six: Alli – Still His, SomehowAlli’s POVThe sound of laughter filled the kitchen—soft, innocent, and warm.John’s giggles bounced off the walls like sunlight, mixing with Johnny’s low voice as he helped their son scoop a pancake shaped vaguely like a dinosaur onto his plate. It was clumsy and lopsided, but John cheered like they’d just built a spaceship together.Alli stood at the sink, her back to them, hands braced against the counter as her heart thudded way too loud in her chest.She needed a minute.Just one.To breathe. To clear her head. To survive the ache that had been growing behind her ribs since the second Johnny stepped into the house.Because no matter how far she’d run… no matter how many years had passed… no matter how many nights she cried herself to sleep during college, whispering you made the right choice—She still loved him.God help her, she still loved him.She slipped down the hall quietly, out of earshot, and into the bathroom. The mirror star

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Alli – Pancakes and Crayon ConfessionsAlli’s POVShe walked into the living room slowly, still holding her phone, still feeling like her chest was wrapped too tight to let her breathe right.John sat cross-legged on the floor, cheeks flushed from excitement, clutching his crayon masterpiece like it was a treasure map.“Look!” he beamed, holding the paper up with two sticky hands. “It’s us! That’s me in the middle, and you—and him! Pancake guy!”Alli’s throat caught.She took the paper, studying it.It was chaos, really. Wild scribbles. Wavy lines. No real sense of proportion. But she knew instantly who was who. Three stick figures: the tallest one with blonde hair and what looked like a beard and motor oil stains on his shirt; the shortest with impossibly long arms and pancake wheels beneath his feet; and her—with what appeared to be coffee in one hand and a heart drawn between her and Johnny’s stick figure in crayon red.Her heart twisted.Her son saw what they h

Chapter Sixty-Two: Alli – A Crack in the WallAlli’s POVShe hadn’t expected the knock.Not tonight. Not after the text messages and the picture and the silence that followed.And she sure as hell hadn’t expected him—Johnny—standing on her porch like a lovesick fool, arms full of chaos.Cheap flowers cradled awkwardly under one arm, a crinkled Chinese takeout bag clutched in one hand, and a plastic sack stuffed with what looked like a fireman helmet and a bright red monster truck in the other. A Happy Meal bag teetered on top of it all, like the cherry on top of the most unhinged sundae she’d ever seen.He looked like he’d just robbed a toy aisle and panicked at a gas station florist.And somehow… it was the most heartbreakingly sweet thing she’d ever seen.Now he was inside, clunky boots toe’d off at the door like he remembered the rhythm of this place. She hadn’t told him to, but he did it anyway, like muscle memory.The food was already on the counter, the bag halfway opened. John

Chapter Sixty-Four: Alli – The Great Escape and the Morning AfterAlli’s POVThe sunlight crept in soft and golden through the blinds, wrapping the room in a hush that felt too peaceful to trust.Johnny was still asleep beside her, warm, his arm slung across her bare waist like it belonged there. His breath brushed the back of her neck. Her body was sore in ways that reminded her just how real last night had been.She blinked slowly, heart aching in her chest.Because for a moment, it felt like they were a family. Like nothing had changed. Like five years hadn’t passed between kisses.Then came the sound.Little feet. Padding down the hallway.Alli froze.“Oh no,” she whispered, eyes wide.She turned to Johnny—still asleep, still naked under the covers—and nudged him.He didn’t stir.She panicked.“Johnny,” she whispered. “Johnny. Wake up.”Still nothing.She grabbed the sheet and kicked him hard in the side.“Shit—what the—?”He jolted upright, eyes wild and unfocused.“He’s awake!”