Ethan didn't believe in first tries.
Not the kind that mattered.
First tries were messy. Incomplete. Usually a waste of time. People liked to romanticize them, turn them into something meaningful, but he knew better.
The first attempt was where things fell apart.
Which was exactly why he should've walked away.Instead, he stayed.
Claire stood across from him, arms folded, waiting. Not impatient, not nervous. Just… steady. Like she had already decided something and was giving him time to catch up.
"I need an answer," she said.
Simple.
Direct.
No room to hide.
Ethan exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his hair as he looked past her, scanning the street like it might offer an escape route. Cars moved. People walked. Life carried on like this moment didn't matter.
Lucky them.
"You're asking for a lot," he said.
"I'm asking for honesty.
"That's a lot."
Her expression didn't change, but something in her eyes sharpened.
"Then say no."
There it was, the easy way out.
Clean. Quick. No consequences—at least not immediate ones. He could say no, walk away, and everything would go back to normal. No complications. No expectations.No risk.
Ethan almost took it.Almost.
Instead, he looked at her.Really looked this time.
Claire wasn't asking for something complicated. She wasn't asking for forever, or promises he couldn't keep. Just a chance. One real attempt at something that wasn't halfway, wasn't convenient, wasn't safe.
A first trial.And somehow, that made it worse.
Because failing something small was easy.
Failing something real stayed with you.
"You're serious about this," he said.
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."
Of course she was.
Claire didn't do halfway. That was always the problem.
Ethan let out a quiet breath, more felt than heard. His mind ran through every possible outcome, every version of how this could go wrong—and there were plenty.
There were always plenty.
But beneath all of that, there was something else. Something quieter. Harder to ignore.
The part of him that didn't want to walk away.
He hated that part.
"Okay," he said finally.
Just one word.But it landed heavier than it should have.
Claire blinked once, like she hadn't expected it. Then her shoulders relaxed slightly, the tension easing in a way that felt… earned.
"Okay?" she repeated.
"Yeah."
Ethan nodded, more to himself than to her.
"One try."
No promises. No guarantees.Just a start.
Claire studied him for a moment, like she was trying to decide if he meant it. Then, slowly, she nodded.
"One try," she agreed.
It sounded simple, It wasn't.Ethan already knew that.
Because the problem with first attempts wasn't starting them,It was what came after.
And something told him this one wasn't going to be easy.
Not for him.
Not for her.
Not for either of them.