After a long time, finally decided to give him a chance.
Zoey stood in front of her mirror longer than necessary.
Her room was quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner and Ava typing away at her desk across the apartment. The navy-blue dress she wore hugged her just enough to make her feel confident without trying too hard. Simple heels. Minimal makeup. Soft perfume.
It wasn't a big deal.
It was just dinner.
"Stop staring at yourself like you're about to attend your own wedding," Ava teased without looking up from her laptop.
Zoey rolled her eyes. "It's not that serious."
Ava finally turned her chair. "You're nervous."
"I'm not."
"You changed outfits three times."
Zoey paused.
"…Okay, maybe a little."
But it wasn't Daniel that made her nervous.
It was the memory of the last time she had gotten dressed for someone like this.
She shook the thought away and grabbed her purse.
"I'll be back before midnight."
Ava gave her a knowing look. "Have fun. And don't compare him."
Zoey froze for half a second.
"I won't."
But even as she said it, she knew she was lying.
Daniel picked her up right on time.
He stepped out of the car when she approached, opening the door for her with a warm smile.
"You look beautiful," he said, genuinely.
Zoey felt her cheeks warm. "Thank you."
Ryan used to say it differently.
He used to lean close and whisper it like a secret only she was allowed to hear.
Stop, she told herself.
Daniel drove them to a cozy rooftop restaurant overlooking the city lights. It wasn't overly fancy — just soft music, candlelight, and the quiet hum of conversations around them.
"It's nice," Zoey said.
"I thought you'd like something peaceful," Daniel replied.
Ryan liked noisy places.
He loved energy, laughter, chaos.
Daniel preferred calm.
Different.
Not bad.
Just… different.
They ordered food. Daniel asked about her recent property sales, genuinely interested. He listened carefully, nodding, asking thoughtful follow-up questions.
Ryan used to interrupt her mid-story because he'd get too excited.
Daniel let her finish every sentence.
"You're really passionate about your work," Daniel observed.
"I worked hard to get here," she said softly.
"I can tell."
There was admiration in his eyes.
It felt steady.
Safe.
And yet…
When the waiter brought her favorite drink, Daniel smiled and said, "I remembered you mentioned this last week."
Ryan would have remembered without her mentioning it.
He used to memorize her without trying.
Her heart tightened unexpectedly.
Why was she doing this?
Why was she measuring kindness against history?
Daniel reached across the table slightly. "You seem distracted."
Zoey blinked. "Sorry?"
"You drifted off just now."
She forced a small laugh. "Just thinking about a client meeting tomorrow."
Lie.
She was thinking about a rainy night under one umbrella.
About laughter echoing through empty streets.
About a boy who once promised forever and then exploded in anger.
Daniel studied her for a moment but didn't push.
"I'm glad you came tonight," he said gently.
Zoey looked at him.
He wasn't intense like Ryan. He didn't make her stomach flip wildly. He didn't make her feel like the world was tilting under her feet.
But he made her feel… stable.
Was stability supposed to feel this quiet?
When Daniel complimented her smile, she remembered how Ryan used to tease her about the tiny dimple on her left cheek.
When Daniel spoke calmly about his career goals, she remembered how Ryan's eyes used to light up passionately when he talked about petroleum engineering, his voice filled with fire and ambition.
Daniel laughed softly at something she said.
Ryan used to throw his head back when he laughed, dramatic and loud.
Stop comparing.
She took a slow breath.
Daniel wasn't competing with anyone.
The competition existed only in her heart.
Halfway through dinner, he asked, "Can I be honest?"
"Of course."
"I know you've been through something. I don't know the details, and I won't ask unless you want to tell me. But sometimes you look like you're somewhere else."
Her throat tightened.
No one had said it so plainly before.
"I'm just… careful now," she admitted.
"That's okay," he said. "Take your time."
Take your time.
Ryan had never said that.
With Ryan, everything had been fast. Intense. Emotional. Explosive.
Beautiful.
Painful.
Daniel walked her to the car afterward.
The city lights reflected in her eyes.
"I had a really good time," he said.
She searched herself for the truth.
She had.
But not in the way she once knew.
"I did too," she replied.
He didn't try to kiss her. He didn't rush. He simply squeezed her hand gently before she got in.
And somehow, that gentleness made her chest ache more than passion would have.
When she got home, Ava was waiting.
"Well?" Ava asked immediately.
Zoey kicked off her heels and sank onto the couch.
"He's perfect."
Ava narrowed her eyes. "That doesn't sound excited."
"He's kind. Patient. He listens. He's mature."
"And?"
Zoey's voice dropped to almost a whisper.
"And he's not Ryan."
The name hung in the air like something fragile.
Ava sighed softly and sat beside her. "You can't punish Daniel for not being your past."
"I know."
"And you can't romanticize what hurt you."
Zoey swallowed hard.
Because that was the problem.
Ryan had hurt her.
He had yelled. Exploded. Walked away.
Left her crying on the floor of her own heart.
And yet…
Her chest still reacted to his memory like it belonged there.
"I don't even know if I still love him," she whispered.
Ava squeezed her hand. "Love doesn't disappear just because you want it to."
That night, Zoey lay in bed replaying dinner in her mind.
Daniel's steady smile.
Ryan's reckless grin.
Daniel's calm voice.
Ryan's heated passion.
She turned on her side and closed her eyes.
For the first time in years, she allowed herself to admit something she had been avoiding:
Daniel was everything she should want.
Ryan was everything she couldn't forget.
And somewhere far away, Ryan lay awake too — staring at his ceiling, unaware that even on her first real date with someone new…
He had still been sitting at the table.
One's first love doesn't die of that easily.