Jukai

Chapter 28 Coffee shop

Terry Richmond

That one call changed everything. I found myself in Santa Rosalía, sitting in a small beachside coffee shop, waiting for Benjamin.

Nervous didn't even begin to describe how I felt. Uncertainty gnawed at me—was Nicole alive or not? I still didn't know. But her godfather had insisted on meeting, and now here I was, caught between hope and fear.

The anticipation was killing me—just sitting here waiting. But for what? What was so important that it couldn't be said over the phone? My mind raced with possibilities, each one more unsettling than the last.

I couldn't stop the endless loop of "what ifs" running through my head. What if Nicole was alive? What if she wasn't? What if Benjamin knew something that would change everything?

"I'm Nicole's godfather," he said, nodding toward the stool beside me.

I gestured for him to sit, my heart pounding as I braced myself for whatever he was about to say.

"So, you're Terry, huh?" Benjamin said, looking straight ahead, his voice even but unreadable.

" yeah," I answered, meeting his gaze. I wasn't sure what he knew about Nicole, but at this point, I was willing to take whatever information he had.

Benjamin studied me for a long moment before exhaling sharply. "Then I guess you deserve to know the truth."

What did he mean by the truth? What was he talking about?

Was Nicole still alive? Or was it time to face reality—that she was really gone this time, no coming back?

The thought sent a chill through me. I wasn't sure if I was ready for the answer. But I had come this far, and there was no turning back now.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet Benjamin's gaze.

"Tell me," I said. "I need to know."

I can only tell you some things about all of this," Benjamin said, his voice low and hesitant. He stared down at the coffee cup in his hand, his fingers tightening around it. "If she were here... she'd be so upset with me."

The way he said it made my stomach twist.

"Why?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Benjamin exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Because she was supposed to tell you... but here I am."

A heavy silence hung between us. His words felt like a warning like I was about to step into something I couldn't come back from.

"Tell me what?" I pressed my pulse quickening.

Benjamin looked up at me then, his expression unreadable.

"It wasn't my place to speak of any of this, you know," Benjamin said, his voice laced with hesitation. He sighed, still staring down at his coffee cup as if the answers were hidden in the swirling liquid.

I swallowed hard. "But you're telling me now."

He nodded slowly. "Because you deserve to know... even if it changes everything."

A chill ran through me. "Changes everything how?

"Look, is she even alive?" I demanded my voice firm despite the lump forming in my throat. "That's what I came here for, Benjamin. It's been months, and I need to know."

Benjamin's grip on the coffee cup tightened, his knuckles turning white. He didn't answer right away, just exhaled slowly, like he was carefully choosing his next words.