Emily's POV
Emily tucked her coat tighter around herself as she walked briskly down the crowded city street. The autumn wind nipped at her cheeks, and the towering buildings above made her feel small, almost swallowed by the weight of everything she was carrying inside. Every step echoed a question she had been avoiding all morning: Why did I take this project? Why here? Why now?
She was on her way to meet Lila.
Lila had been her roommate during university, a bright, loud, hilarious woman who had pulled Emily out of her shell more times than she could count. When Emily called her out of the blue, Lila hadn't hesitated. "Girl, get over here. We have so much to catch up on."
Emily pushed through the café door, warmth and the scent of coffee washing over her. There, waving dramatically from a corner booth, was Lila, hair piled into a messy bun, a thick book forgotten at her side.
"Em!" Lila cried, jumping up and pulling her into a tight hug. "Look at you! You're glowing—are you seeing someone?"
Emily laughed softly, shaking her head. "No, no. Work's just been… intense."
They settled into the booth, steaming mugs between them. Emily tried to relax, but her mind kept drifting—back to the office, to the heated meetings, to the way Ethan's eyes had softened for just a second before hardening again.
Lila tilted her head, studying her. "You're holding back."
Emily sighed. "It's complicated."
Lila leaned forward eagerly. "Complicated how?"
Emily toyed with her cup. "Do you remember Ethan?"
Lila blinked. "The Ethan? Small-town, rich-boy Ethan? First love, broke-your-heart Ethan?"
Emily winced. "Yeah. Him."
Lila let out a low whistle. "Don't tell me you ran into him here."
Emily gave a small, pained smile. "He's… he's my client. I'm working on a major project for his company."
Lila's jaw dropped. "Oh, Emily."
Lila's POV
Lila watched her old friend with a pang of sympathy. Emily had always been the kind of girl who gave her whole heart—quiet but fierce, all-in once she loved someone. And when Ethan's family had torn them apart back then, Emily had crumbled.
Lila reached across the table, squeezing Emily's hand. "You okay?"
Emily shook her head, blinking fast. "I thought I was. But seeing him again… it's like everything I buried is right here again, on the surface."
Lila softened her voice. "Do you still love him?"
Emily closed her eyes, the question slicing deep. "I don't know. I'm angry. I'm hurt. But when he looks at me, it's like… no time has passed."
Emily's POV
Emily hated admitting it out loud. She hated how her heart still twisted at the mere sight of Ethan, how memories she thought were locked away came flooding back with a glance, a word, a breath.
"I was so sure I'd left it all behind," Emily whispered. "But maybe I never really did."
Lila leaned back, shaking her head with a wry smile. "Girl, you never really leave your first love behind. But you can decide what power you let it have over you now."
Emily looked at her friend, grateful for the grounding words. She knew she couldn't let herself spiral. She was here for work, for her future. She couldn't let Ethan Saint Claire derail her again.
"Tell me," Lila said, soft but firm, "what exactly happened back then? I remember you disappearing, but you never told me the whole story."
Emily took a deep breath. "We were seventeen. Ethan wanted to go public with us, but his father found out. They threatened my dad's business, threatened my mom. We had no choice—we left the town overnight. I never even got to say goodbye."
Lila's eyes softened. "Emily… you were a kid. You were protecting your family."
Emily gave a bitter smile. "I've spent years convincing myself that it was for the best. That I'd moved on. But here I am, shaking like a teenager again just because he's in the same room."
Lila squeezed her hand tighter. "You are not that girl anymore."
Later That Night — Emily's POV
Emily walked home alone, the city lights flickering around her, heels clicking on the pavement. She let the cool night air wash over her, trying to clear her mind.
She thought about the project files stacked in her apartment. She thought about the looming deadlines. But mostly, she thought about Ethan—the way he'd looked at her today, the cold, practiced mask that had slipped only briefly when their hands brushed over the same document.
She paused at a crosswalk, taking a shaky breath.
Stay strong, she told herself. Stay focused.
But in the quiet corners of her heart, Ethan's shadow still lingered, no matter how hard she tried to shove it away.
When she reached her apartment, Emily didn't turn on the lights. She sat on the edge of her bed in the dark, head in her hands.
This is just a job, she reminded herself. He's just a client. You can handle this.
But as her phone buzzed with an email notification—Ethan's name glowing on the screen—her heart gave a traitorous little jump.
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it all out.
Tomorrow, she would face him again. Tomorrow, she would pretend she was strong.
But tonight, she allowed herself a few fragile tears for everything she had lost and everything she wasn't sure she could survive finding again.