Chapter Sixteen : June

I was lingering at the café, barely aware of the time, caught up in the easy flow of conversation with Kevin. I hadn’t realized how much I missed him until now—his laughter, the way he listened so intently, and how comfortable I felt around him. My phone buzzed in my pocket, breaking the moment.

(Ma’am, we have a meeting in fifteen minutes. Where are you?)

Julia’s message snapped me back to reality. I’d already reviewed the project details, and all that was left was to sign the papers. I typed a quick response. (I’m on my way.)

Looking up, I saw Kevin’s phone lit up in his hands. I decided to wait for him to finish, my mind wandering as I stared at him, wondering how long it had been since we'd seen each other last. He looked up from his screen with a small smile and handed me his phone.

“Here, it’s my number. I changed it way back,” he said.