The Year That Changed Me

Jessie has loved Warren since she was sixteen.

Eight years.
One flat.
Too many apologies.
And a version of herself that got smaller every year.

She finally leaves.

New city. New job. New people who don't know who she used to be.

Then Warren's mum gets diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Now he's calling at midnight.
Saying he misses her.
Saying he's changed.
Saying he still loves her.

And Jessie?
She's not heartless.
She's just not sure she loves him the same way anymore.

Because there's also Max.
A grounded pilot with secrets, grief he doesn't talk about, and a way of looking at her like she isn't something to manage. He doesn't need fixing. He doesn't need saving.

He just sees her.

But healing isn't linear.
Grief blurs lines.
History has weight.
And sometimes you kiss someone you thought you'd outgrown.

This is the year Jessie stops shrinking.
The year she chooses herself.
The year she realises love should feel steady... not like survival.

The year that changed her.