Chasing the puck

Chapter Forty

The sunlight streamed softly through the curtains, casting a golden glow across the bedroom. Sarah blinked her eyes open, the warmth of the morning wrapping her in a cocoon of comfort. For a moment, she simply lay there, enjoying the stillness. Mark’s steady breath filled the air beside her, his arm loosely draped over her waist, grounding her in the present.

But as much as she tried to focus on the peacefulness of the morning, a nagging feeling tugged at the back of her mind. The sensation was so subtle at first, she barely noticed it. It wasn’t dissatisfaction—she liked Mark, she really did—but as she watched him sleep, there was a flicker of something deeper that she couldn’t quite place.

Carefully, Sarah slipped out of bed, not wanting to wake him, and padded softly across the hardwood floors to the kitchen. The cool air kissed her skin as she made her way to the coffee maker, the rich scent of brewing coffee soon filling the space. She poured herself a cup and took it to the balcony, the crisp autumn air a welcome contrast to the warmth of the apartment.

Sitting down with her journal in hand, she tried to focus on the present—on how simple and easy things felt with Mark. Yet, as she scribbled in the margins, her thoughts betrayed her. The pen hesitated over the page as a familiar name surfaced in her mind: Tyler.

She sighed, leaning back in her chair and gazing out over the city. The relationship with Tyler had been chaotic, full of highs and lows, but it had also been… intense. There was a kind of passion between them that she hadn’t felt since. The memory stirred something within her that she hadn’t expected to feel. For the first time in a while, she allowed herself to sit with those emotions, rather than brushing them aside.

Mark’s voice pulled her from her reverie. “Hey, everything okay?” he asked, standing in the doorway, sleep still clouding his eyes. His smile was warm, and for a moment, Sarah felt guilty. She plastered a smile on her face, pushing the thoughts of Tyler aside.

“Yeah,” she replied, offering him a soft smile. “Just getting a little fresh air.”

Mark came out to join her, wrapping his arms around her from behind as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Good,” he murmured. “I was thinking we could make pancakes for breakfast, maybe talk about that concert coming up. You still want to go, right?”

The mention of the concert made Sarah pause. It was just a few weeks away, but the idea of planning that far ahead suddenly felt overwhelming. She hesitated, then nodded, hoping her reluctance wasn’t too obvious. “Yeah, sounds good.”

But even as she spoke the words, there was a flicker of unease inside her, a sense of uncertainty that she couldn’t quite shake. She liked Mark, but something about the future they were casually planning together felt… off. It lacked the spark she had once craved, and now she was beginning to wonder if that spark was something she truly needed.

Later, as Sarah sat across from Summer at their favorite café, her fingers traced the rim of her coffee cup absently. She shared the details of her morning with Mark, the easy conversation, the breakfast they had made together, but even as she talked, the words felt hollow.

Summer, ever perceptive, raised an eyebrow. “You don’t sound excited,” she observed, leaning forward. “What’s going on?”

Sarah let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “I don’t know… I like Mark, I really do. But lately, I’ve been thinking about Tyler. Not in a ‘I want him back’ way,” she quickly clarified, “but more like… unfinished business. We never really worked through everything, you know?”

Summer’s expression softened with understanding. “You think seeing him recently stirred all that up?”

Sarah nodded. “Yeah. I keep comparing the two of them, and it’s not fair to Mark. But there’s something about Tyler—about what we had—that I can’t stop thinking about.”