If We Fall Again

Chapter 22

The next morning, the breakfast table was unusually quiet. The only sound breaking the stillness was Noah’s innocent voice. He looked up from his plate, his eyes wide with curiosity. “Where’s Uncle Andrew?”

Nate, his expression hard to read, responded flatly, “He left early this morning.” His tone was sharp, clipped. Elise could feel the weight of his words, the tension radiating from him.

Julie, who usually had a lively energy, seemed out of sorts too. She merely glanced at Nate, then resumed her quiet, sipping her coffee. Elise couldn’t stand the silence and tried to lighten the mood, turning to Noah with a forced brightness in her voice.

“Noah, are you excited about school today? What’s the plan, more games at recess?” she asked, nudging him gently.

Noah perked up, nodding enthusiastically. “Yeah! We’re gonna play soccer today! I think I’ll score at least two goals!”

“That sounds awesome! I can’t wait to hear all about it when you get home,” Elise replied, her smile genuine as she fed off Noah’s energy.

The conversation soothed the tension for a moment, but Nate and Julie remained silent. After breakfast, Elise helped Noah get his backpack ready and walked him out to the school bus. As soon as he was off, Elise headed back inside to help Julie, who was busy packing for her vacation.

“Hey, you don’t have to do this,” Elise offered. “It’s your vacation. I’ve got it under control.”

Julie waved her off, her smile a little too wide, like she was trying to shake off her own unease. “Nah, I’ll be bored if I’m not doing something. Plus, I’ll feel better knowing I left the house in good shape. You’re gonna be living here soon anyway, right? It’ll be your turn to keep it clean.”

Elise chuckled, handing Julie a stack of neatly folded clothes. “Fair enough. Though I’m not sure I’m ready for the responsibility of running the place.”

Julie laughed. “You’ll be fine. Besides, you’ll have Nate to boss around.”

They worked quietly for a while before Julie broke the silence, her voice softening. “You know... Shannon would’ve liked you.”

Elise looked up, surprised. “You think so?”

“Yeah,” Julie nodded, folding a shirt with care. “She was always the life of the party, but she had a soft side too. She was... good at making people feel welcome. Kind of like you.”

Elise smiled, touched. “I wish I could’ve met her.”

Julie’s eyes softened. “It’s funny, you know. I see why Nate loved her, but... I also see why he loves you.”

The warmth of the compliment hung between them for a moment before they returned to packing. Once Julie left, the house felt quiet again, almost too quiet. Elise found Nate on the couch, staring out the window, his thoughts miles away.

Sitting down next to him, Elise nudged his leg playfully. “You okay?”

Nate gave her a small smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Just thinking about things... about us.”

Elise tilted her head, waiting for him to continue.

“I’m serious about you moving in,” Nate said, his voice steady. “We need to figure out where your stuff’s gonna go, how we’re gonna make this all work...”

“Yeah,” Elise agreed, leaning back against the couch. “I’ve been thinking about that too. Maybe I’ll take over the guest room for now, and we can adjust as we go. We’ll figure it out.”