Unraveled

Chapter 7

The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm, golden haze over the city as Caleb stepped out of Aubrey's apartment. The heat clung to him, but it did little to chase away the discomfort gnawing at the edges of his mind. His skin still hummed with the memory of the night before—of Aubrey's touch, the intensity between them—but now, in the quiet daylight, something felt off.

He walked along the sidewalk, his thoughts churning, replaying every moment from the night before. The closeness with Aubrey, the ease with which they'd fallen into each other—it had seemed perfect at the time. Yet now, with some distance, the questions that had been lurking beneath the surface began to rise.

Was this how things were between them before? Were he and Aubrey always this close? The fragmented memories he had didn't offer any answers; if anything, they only muddied the waters. And then there was Lila—her name kept surfacing, her face haunting his nightmares, her presence casting a shadow over his thoughts.

Caleb's heart beat faster, caught between guilt and confusion. Being with Aubrey had felt right in the moment—natural, even—but now he wasn't so sure. Something about it felt too fast, too easy. Yet the pull toward Aubrey was undeniable, like a current he couldn't resist.

He tried to focus on the present—the warmth of the sun, the city's bustling sounds around him—but his thoughts circled back to Lila. Her red hair, her laughter echoing in his mind; it all felt too vivid to ignore.

Caleb pulled out his phone, his fingers hovering over the screen as a knot of hesitation formed in his chest. He needed answers, but he wasn't sure where to start. Aubrey was a comfort, yet Caleb couldn't bring himself to ask the hard questions—questions he could feel forming in the back of his mind. Only one person might help him make sense of it all.

Hey. Can we meet? he typed quickly, sending the message to Isabelle.

Her reply came almost instantly. Of course. Same café?

Caleb glanced back at Aubrey's building, a strange mix of longing and doubt twisting inside him. Turning away, he headed toward the café. If anyone could help him untangle the mess of his memory, it was Isabelle. Maybe she could tell him more about Lila—about who she really was and why her name haunted him.

When he arrived at the café, he spotted Isabelle by the window. She looked up and offered a small, welcoming smile, her hands wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee. She looked like the kind of person he should feel at ease around, but there was a distance between them he couldn't explain. He knew she was supposed to be close—maybe family, maybe something more—but it felt like he was playing a role he didn't fully understand.

"Hey," Caleb greeted, sliding into the seat across from her. Isabelle's smile held, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Hey," she replied, her voice warm but layered with something Caleb couldn't quite place. She seemed to study him carefully, as if waiting for him to speak first.

They sat in silence for a moment, the café's ambient sounds filling the space around them. Caleb glanced out the window, grappling for the right words. He needed answers, but even the questions felt slippery, just out of reach.

"How have you been?" Isabelle asked, breaking the silence. Her gaze was gentle, but watchful.

Caleb shrugged, giving a noncommittal answer. "I don't know... just trying to figure things out."

"That makes sense," Isabelle said softly. "You've been through a lot."

Caleb nodded, his mind drifting. He didn't know how to bring up Lila, but she was there, lingering at the edges of his thoughts. Her name, those fragmented memories, flashes of red in his dreams—they all felt like pieces of a puzzle he couldn't quite assemble.