Nora was adjusting the sleeve of her dress when she heard her name.
Not called loudly.
Not announced.
Just spoken quietly, carefully,like the person saying it wasn't sure they had the right.
Nora?the voice said
Her fingers stilled.
She knew that voice.
Slowly, she turned around.
Ethan stood a few steps away, holding a folded program in his hand like he'd picked it up just to have something to do with his fingers. He looked taller than she remembered, broader somehow, but the expression on his face was the same one she used to know too well.
Surprised. Thoughtful. Unprepared.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The hall buzzed with activity,laughter, footsteps, instructions being called out by the wedding coordinatorbut it all faded into the background. It felt like the world had made room just for them.
I didn't expect to see you here, Ethan finally said.
Nora nodded once. Same.
It was true. When she agreed to attend her cousin's wedding, she had prepared herself for awkward relatives and long conversations. She had not prepared herself for the one person she'd never fully learned how to forget.
You look...,He paused, then smiled faintly. You look well.
So do you.she replied
She hated how natural it felt to say that. Hated how easily the years folded in on themselves.
Another silence settled between them. Not uncomfortable but heavy. The kind that came from unfinished sentences and unasked questions.
I didn't know you were still close with them,Ethan said, gesturing vaguely toward the hall.
I wasn't, Nora replied. Not until recently.
He nodded like that made sense. Like he understood more than she'd said.
The wedding coordinator approached them, clipboard in hand. You must be Nora and Ethan.
They both turned.
Yes, Ethan answered.
Perfect. You're paired together for the rehearsal. We'll start in five minutes.
Nora felt something drop in her chest.
Paired together.
She looked at Ethan, expecting surprise or discomfort but he only exhaled slowly, as if fate had just confirmed something he already suspected.
Well, he said, offering a polite half-smile, looks like we're spending some time together.
Nora crossed her arms loosely, more to steady herself than to create distance. Looks like it.
They moved to opposite sides of the room, but she could feel his presence even when he wasn't looking at her. It was unsettling how little that had changed.
As instructions were given, Nora's mind drifted not backward exactly, but inward. To the memory she never quite let herself revisit.
The last time they'd spoken.
No argument.
No shouting.
Just a quiet ending that never felt finished.
She remembered standing by her car, keys in hand, waiting for him to stop her. Waiting for him to say something,anything that would make staying easier than leaving.
He hadn't.
And she had driven away.
Are you okay?
Ethan's voice pulled her back.
She realized he was standing beside her now, close enough that she could smell the familiar clean scent of his cologne. He'd changed brands. She was sure of it. And yet, something about him still felt the same.
I'm fine, she said automatically.
He studied her for a second longer than necessary. You always say that when you're not.
Her breath caught.
That was a long time ago, she replied.
Some things don't change, he said quietly.
They stood there, side by side, pretending to focus on the rehearsal while a hundred unspoken thoughts crowded the space between them.
Afterward, as people began to disperse, Ethan cleared his throat.
Do you have time to talk? he asked. Just for a bit.
Nora hesitated.
She had come back to the city with a plan. Attend the wedding. Keep things light. Leave again without reopening doors she'd worked so hard to close.
But the door was already open.
I have a little time, she said hurriedly
His smile was small but real...Good.
As they walked out together, Nora felt it that quiet pull she used to fight so hard against.
This wasn't chaos.
This wasn't drama.
It was something far more dangerous.
A second chance standing quietly between them, waiting to be acknowledged.
And for the first time in years, Nora wondered if silence would still cost them everything.