JessaBenny’s was louder than usual.Not in a chaotic, overwhelming way like a game night—but full. Packed with voices, laughter, plates clinking, music low in the background. The kind of noise that wrapped around you instead of pressing in on you.It felt… warm.Familiar.And for the first time in a long time, not something I had to brace myself for.“Okay, I’m just saying,” Mariah said, leaning back in the booth like she owned the place, “if we’re calling this a ‘last night’ thing, I feel like there should be more dramatic energy.”Jackson snorted across from her.“We still have two months.”She pointed at him.“Exactly my point. So this isn’t technically the last anything.”“Then stop calling it that,” he shot back.“I like the vibe,” she said.I smiled, sitting beside Noah, my shoulder lightly brushing his.It was weird.Not the bad kind.Just… aware.Aware of everything.The table.The people.The way this moment felt like it mattered more than it would’ve a year ago.“Food’s her
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