Back To You

Mornings feel different now (10)

My alarm went off at 8:15, but I'd been awake since 7:03.

I couldn't stop replaying it.

The knock at the door.

The drive.

The city lights.

His hand in mine.

And that kiss—soft, careful, like he was afraid I'd disappear if he moved too fast.

I reached for my phone before even sitting up.

No new messages.

Last night's still glowed on the screen.

Tayler: Can't stop thinking about you.

Neither can I, I thought, but I still hadn't replied.

I wasn't trying to play games.

I just... didn't trust how easy it felt to fall back into him.

Not yet.

I tossed the covers off and padded to the kitchen in an oversized hoodie and mismatched socks. The sun poured through the window, making everything look softer than it felt. I turned on the kettle and leaned against the counter, staring at the blank wall like it might offer some kind of answer.

What now?

A knock broke the silence.

Not my phone.

The door.

Again.

My heart stuttered.

No one knocked this early.

I peeked through the peephole and felt my breath catch in my throat.

Tayler.

A bag of pastries in one hand. A coffee tray in the other.

Wearing the same hoodie from last night, sleeves pushed up, hair slightly messy like he'd only run his hands through it once.

I opened the door slowly, squinting. "Are you stalking me now?"

He grinned. "I come bearing almond croissants. That's more of a reward than a threat."

I stepped aside, trying to hide the fact that my pulse had instantly spiked. "You really didn't have to."

"I know," he said simply, walking in. "But I wanted to."

He placed everything on the table like he'd done it a hundred times before. Like we did this every Saturday morning.

I hovered in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed, unsure of the rules anymore. Unsure if there were even any left.

"Didn't expect to see you this soon," I admitted.

"Didn't expect to sleep," he said, glancing at me with something unreadable in his eyes. "Didn't really happen."

"Yeah," I whispered. "Me either."

He looked at me then—really looked—and the room felt still again.

"I meant what I said," he said softly. "About taking it slow. About showing you."

I nodded, lips pressed into a line.

"I'm not trying to fix everything overnight," he added. "But I just... didn't want last night to be some floating thing. I wanted to make it real."

I swallowed. "It already felt real."

A silence settled between us.

Then he broke it, motioning to the table. "So, breakfast?"

I hesitated, then smiled. "Only if I get the bigger croissant."

He smirked. "I knew you were going to say that."

⸻

We sat across from each other, barely touching our food. Every time I reached for my coffee, his eyes followed the movement. Every time he leaned back in his chair, I noticed the way he was still watching me.

"I don't know how to do this," I said quietly, halfway through my cup. "Be normal with you. Pretend like everything's not layered with... everything else."

"I'm not asking you to pretend," he said. "I just want to be here. However that looks."

I nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Okay?" he echoed.

"Yeah," I said. "Okay."

And for the first time in a long time, I felt like the ground under my feet wasn't shifting.

⸻

Later that morning, Olivia FaceTimed me.

I answered from the couch, still in my hoodie, hair up, legs curled under me. Tayler had left twenty minutes ago with a promise to call later.

"You look suspiciously cozy," she said immediately.

I raised a brow. "Do I?"

"You do," she said, narrowing her eyes. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing."

She didn't buy it for a second.

"Did you see him?"

I paused. "He picked me up last night."

Olivia's eyes widened. "And?"

"And we talked. A lot."

She waited, holding her breath.

"And... we kissed," I said, heart racing even as I said it out loud for the first time.

Olivia blinked, stunned into silence for a full two seconds. "Are you—Madi. Oh my god."

"I know."

"How do you feel?"

I thought about it.

About his hand in mine.

His voice in the quiet.

That soft kiss by the door.

"I feel like something started," I said. "And I don't know what it is yet. But I'm not scared of it."

Olivia smiled slowly, warmly. "Then let it happen."

And for the first time, I thought maybe I really would.

Maybe this time, the ending wasn't the point.

Maybe it was about everything in between