With the company slowly finding its rhythm again amidst the chaos, the week marched on. Life with Madison and Chris took on a rhythm of its own, each moment a decisive beat, stronger and more resonant than the one before. We had settled into something of a routine—well, the few times I was actually home early enough to spend time with them—yet every minute was unmistakably tinged with the unspoken. It was something constantly hovering between us, something we tried our best to look past but couldn’t.
Madison and I carefully danced around the topic of our recent night together, a silent agreement to avoid even mentioning it. I was irked by my lapse in self-control, a rare occurrence for me. But despite the undercurrent of awkwardness, our time together with Chris was filled with laughter and spontaneous outings.