Updated Mar 21, 2026 • ~10 min read
SUMMER – THE NEXT MORNING
I change outfits six times.
Too formal. Too casual. Too desperate.
Finally, Rose intervenes.
“Just wear jeans and a sweater. You’re getting coffee, not getting married.”
“What if he wants closure? What if this is goodbye?”
“Then it’s goodbye. But Summer, you can’t control his decision. Just be yourself.”
I settle on jeans and a blue sweater.
Simple. Real.
Me.
JAX – THE COFFEE SHOP
I’m early.
Nervous.
What am I doing?
This is insane.
She lied to me for two years. I should hate her.
But I don’t.
I miss her.
And working with her showed me she’s changed.
Or at least, she’s trying to.
Summer walks in.
Spots me.
Smiles nervously.
My heart does that thing it always did.
Damn it.
SUMMER
He’s already here.
At a corner table. Two coffees waiting.
He remembered my order.
Oat milk latte. Extra foam.
“Hi,” I say.
“Hi. I ordered for you. Hope that’s okay.”
“It’s perfect. Thank you.”
I sit.
We both sip our coffee.
Silence.
Finally, Jax speaks.
“I don’t know how to start this.”
“Me either.”
“I asked you here because… I don’t know. I needed to see you. Outside the gallery. Outside work.”
“Okay.”
“The exhibition—working with you—it was good. Confusing. But good.”
“For me too.”
“You’re different. From before.”
“I’m trying to be. Therapy. Boundaries with my parents. Living authentically.”
“Rose mentioned you called your mom.”
“I did. Set boundaries. Told her I wasn’t going to be the perfect daughter anymore.”
“How did she react?”
“She hung up. Haven’t heard from her since.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It needed to happen. I can’t live for her approval anymore.”
Jax nods.
“That’s growth.”
“Thanks.”
More silence.
Then Jax asks the question I’ve been dreading.
“Do you still love me?”
Honesty. Dr. Patel’s voice echoes.
“Yes.”
He exhales.
“I needed to hear that.”
“Do you… do you still love me?”
He looks at his coffee.
“I don’t know. Part of me does. But the other part is still so hurt. So angry.”
“I understand.”
“Do you? Summer, you lied to me every day for two years. You let me fall in love with you while planning to marry someone else. That doesn’t just go away.”
Tears well up.
“I know. I’m not asking you to forget. Or even forgive. I just… I needed you to know I’m sorry. And I’ve changed.”
“I see that you’re trying. But trying isn’t the same as being different.”
“What do you need from me?”
“I don’t know. Time, maybe. Proof that you won’t run when things get hard. That you won’t lie to protect yourself.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“You promised before.”
The words cut.
“You’re right. Words aren’t enough. So what do I do? How do I prove it?”
“I don’t know. But Summer… I can’t go through that again. If we try this—and I’m not saying we will—but if we do, I need complete honesty. No secrets. No hiding.”
“You’ll have it. I swear.”
He studies me.
“Let’s start slow. Coffee. Maybe dinner. See if we can be friends first.”
“Friends?”
“I don’t trust you enough for more. Not yet. But I’m willing to try friendship.”
It’s not what I wanted.
But it’s more than I deserve.
“Okay. Friends.”
“Friends.”
We finish our coffee.
Talk about safer things. His shop. My gallery. Rose’s next exhibition.
It’s nice.
Easy.
Like old times.
But with walls up.
Careful.
JAX
Walking her to the subway feels familiar.
Like muscle memory.
At the entrance, she turns.
“Thank you. For giving me a chance.”
“Don’t thank me yet. This might not work.”
“I know. But you’re here. That’s something.”
She hesitates.
Then hugs me.
Quick. Careful.
I hug back.
She smells the same.
Feels the same.
But we’re not the same.
We can’t be.
She pulls away. “I’ll see you?”
“Yeah. I’ll text you.”
She smiles.
Disappears into the subway.
I stand there.
Wondering if I just made the best decision of my life.
Or the worst.
SUMMER – THERAPY, TWO DAYS LATER
“I had coffee with Jax.”
Dr. Patel leans forward. “How did that go?”
“Good. Scary. He wants to try being friends.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“Grateful. Hopeful. Terrified.”
“Why terrified?”
“What if I mess up again? What if I’m not capable of being honest?”
“Are you capable?”
“I think so. I’ve been practicing. With you. With Rose. With my mother.”
“So why would it be different with Jax?”
“Because I love him. And love makes me scared.”
“Of what?”
“Losing him. Disappointing him. Not being enough.”
“Summer, you can’t control his feelings. All you can control is your behavior. Can you be honest with him?”
“Yes.”
“Can you show up authentically?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s enough. The rest is up to him.”
She’s right.
But it doesn’t make it less scary.
JAX – ONE WEEK LATER
We get dinner.
Italian place in Brooklyn.
Casual. Low-pressure.
Summer tells me about a difficult customer at the gallery.
I tell her about a client who wanted a tattoo of their ex’s face crossed out.
We laugh.
It feels normal.
Then she asks: “Are you dating anyone?”
“No. You?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
She looks at me. “Because I’m still in love with you.”
The honesty startles me.
“Summer—”
“I know. Friends. I’m not pushing. You asked, and I’m being honest.”
“I appreciate that.”
“What about you? Why aren’t you dating?”
I could lie. Say I’m busy. Say I’m not ready.
But if I want honesty from her, I need to give it too.
“Because I’m still hung up on you.”
She goes still.
“You are?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately.”
“Why unfortunately?”
“Because it would be easier if I hated you. If I could move on.”
“But you can’t?”
“No. Apparently not.”
We sit with that.
“So what do we do?” she asks.
“I don’t know. Keep taking it slow, I guess.”
“Okay.”
The waiter brings the check.
I pay.
We walk outside.
“Jax?” Summer says.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. For trying.”
“You’re welcome.”
We’re standing close.
Too close.
I should step back.
I don’t.
She looks up at me.
I want to kiss her.
So badly.
But I don’t.
Not yet.
Not until I’m sure.
“Goodnight, Summer.”
“Goodnight, Jax.”
THEO – ELEVEN MONTHS POST-EXPLOSION
Simone and I are official.
We’ve been dating for two months.
It’s good. Stable. Healthy.
She knows about my past. Doesn’t judge.
We’re at her place. Watching a movie.
“Theo?” she says.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
The words should make me happy.
They don’t.
Because I don’t love her back.
I care about her. Like her. Respect her.
But love?
No.
“Simone—”
“You don’t have to say it back. I just wanted you to know.”
“I care about you. A lot.”
“But you don’t love me.”
“Not yet. But I think I could. With time.”
She smiles. Sad.
“You’re still protecting yourself.”
“I’m trying not to.”
“I know. And I appreciate the effort. But Theo… I don’t want to be with someone who’s ‘trying’ to love me. I want someone who just does.”
“Give me time—”
“I’ve given you two months. And you’re still closed off. Still comparing me to her.”
“I’m not—”
“You are. And that’s okay. But I can’t compete with a ghost.”
She’s right.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
We break up.
Again.
SUMMER – THREE WEEKS LATER
Jax and I are having coffee again.
Third time this month.
It’s becoming a routine.
“How’s the shop?” I ask.
“Busy. Good. We booked solid through next month.”
“That’s amazing.”
“The exhibition helped. Three new clients came from that.”
“I’m glad.”
We sip our coffees.
“Summer, can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Why did you really stay with Theo for so long?”
I consider lying. Making it sound better.
But I promised honesty.
“Fear. I was terrified of disappointing my parents. Of losing their love. And I was selfish. I wanted both lives. The safety of Theo. The passion of you.”
“That’s honest.”
“I’m trying.”
“I see that.”
“Does it help? The honesty?”
“Yeah. It does.”
“Do you think… do you think you’ll ever trust me again?”
He’s quiet for a long moment.
“I don’t know. But I’m starting to hope I can.”
“That’s enough. For now.”
JAX
She’s changed.
Really changed.
Every conversation, she’s honest. Vulnerable. Real.
It’s everything I wanted before.
But can I trust it?
Can I trust her?
I want to.
God, I want to.
SUMMER – ONE MONTH LATER, TWELVE MONTHS POST-EXPLOSION
One year.
It’s been one year since everything exploded.
Since I lost everything.
I’m at the gallery. Alone.
Reflecting.
A year ago: Engaged. Disowned. Heartbroken. Lost.
Now: Gallery manager. In therapy. Setting boundaries. Healing.
And maybe—maybe—earning back Jax’s trust.
My phone rings.
Unknown number.
“Hello?”
“Summer. It’s your mother.”
I freeze.
“Mom.”
“Your father and I would like to see you. For dinner. This weekend.”
“Why?”
“To talk. To… to try.”
“Try what?”
“To understand. To listen.”
It’s more than I expected.
“Okay. Saturday?”
“Saturday. 6 PM. You choose the restaurant.”
She’s giving me control.
Small gesture.
But significant.
“I’ll text you the details.”
“Summer?”
“Yeah?”
“I… we’re sorry. For how we handled things.”
My throat tightens.
“Thank you.”
We hang up.
I call Rose.
“Mom and Dad want to have dinner.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah. This weekend.”
“Are you going?”
“I think so. They apologized.”
“Wow. That’s huge.”
“I’m terrified.”
“You’ll be fine. You’re stronger now.”
She’s right.
I am stronger.
A year ago, this would have destroyed me.
Now?
Now I can handle it.
JAX – SAME DAY
I text Summer.
Dinner tomorrow?
Can’t. Family dinner with my parents.
Oh. Everything okay?
Yeah. First time seeing them in a year. They apologized.
That’s big.
Yeah. I’m nervous.
You’ll be great. Text me after?
I will. Thank you.
I want to be there with her.
Support her.
But we’re not there yet.
Friends.
We’re friends.
For now.
SUMMER – THE NEXT NIGHT
Dinner with my parents.
Rose comes too. Moral support.
My mother looks older. Tired.
My father barely makes eye contact.
We order.
Silence.
Finally, my mother speaks.
“We were wrong. To force you into that engagement. To make our love conditional.”
I wasn’t expecting that.
“We thought we were helping you. Securing your future. But we were controlling you.”
My father adds, “We’re sorry.”
Tears stream down my face.
“I’m sorry too. For lying. For embarrassing you. For not being strong enough to tell you no.”
“You were strong enough,” Rose interjects. “You just didn’t know it yet.”
My mother reaches across the table.
Takes my hand.
“Can we start over? Get to know the real you?”
“I’d like that.”
It’s not perfect.
It’s not fixed.
But it’s a start.
And that’s enough.
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