Chapter 17 Seveenteen

Chapter 17 Seveenteen
Agreeing to meet Adrian for another coffee had been an impulsive decision, but the moment I sent the message, I knew there was no going back. Something was shifting between us, and I could no longer pretend not to notice it.

I tried to keep my routine normal. Lily ate breakfast while humming to herself. She kept insisting I look at her latest drawing, which she said was her best moon yet. I smiled and told her it was wonderful, though my mind was already drifting toward the day ahead.

After dropping her at daycare, I drove to the office with my pulse beating harder than usual. When I reached the lobby, I glanced instinctively toward the café. Adrian was not there yet. Relief washed through me, followed quickly by something else. Disappointment.

I turned away and went to my office.

At nine fifty-five, I stood from my desk, smoothing my blouse with a shaky breath. I walked to the elevator and pressed the button. My heart beat a little faster as I descended. When the doors opened, I stepped out slowly and approached the café.

He was already waiting this time.

He stood when he saw me, as if the simple act of arriving meant something important. I felt heat rise in my chest but forced my expression to stay composed.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning.”

We sat across from each other again, just as before. The server approached and asked for our order. Adrian glanced at me first.

“Just coffee,” I said.

“The same,” he added for himself.

When she walked away, silence settled between us, but it felt warmer this time. Less strained.

“I appreciate you coming again,” he said.

“I said I would,” I replied.

“I know,” he said softly. “But you did not have to.”

I looked away briefly. He had a way of speaking that made it difficult to maintain distance. Calm. Controlled. Yet there was something sincere in every word.

“I wanted clarity,” I said. “About everything.”

He nodded. “You deserve that.”

The server returned with our coffees, giving us a brief pause. When she left, he leaned forward slightly, not close enough to crowd me but close enough to show intention.

“You said yesterday that you needed time,” he said. “I understand that. I am not asking you to rush. I only want the chance to show you who I am now.”

“You say that easily,” I said.

“Nothing about this is easy,” he replied. “That is why I am taking my time.”

His steady tone unsettled me. I was used to men pushing, asking, demanding. He was doing none of that.

“I have questions,” I said. “And I do not know if I want the answers.”

“Ask anyway,” he said gently. “I will answer honestly.”

I took a breath. “Are you doing this because of Lily. Because of guilt.”

“No,” he said firmly. “I want to be in her life. That is true. But I want you for reasons that have nothing to do with guilt or obligation.”

His voice carried a quiet conviction that made my heartbeat jump.

“Then why now,” I asked. “Why after everything.”

“I had to grow first,” he said. “I was not capable of giving you anything real before. I did not understand what I had. I did not understand myself. I made mistakes I regret every day.”

He paused.

“And then you came back. And I saw you again. Confident. Steady. Strong. You walked into my office as if you had rebuilt yourself from the ground up. And I realized I did not want to lose the chance to know you again.”

My breath caught. I stared at him, uncertain how to respond.

“You think I am strong,” I said quietly.

“I know you are,” he said. “You raised our daughter alone. You built a life for her. You built one for yourself. That is strength I admire more than anything.”

His words hit harder than they should have.

I lifted my coffee to give myself a moment. My hands were steady, but my pulse was not.

“I do not know if I can give you what you want,” I said.

“I am not asking for anything now,” he replied. “Only the chance to earn your trust again.”

His voice was steady, but there was something warmer underneath it. Something quiet but unmistakable.

He wanted me back. And he was saying it without pressure, without force, without demands.

I did not know how to handle that.

When I did not respond, Adrian shifted slightly in his seat.

“May I ask you something,” he said.

I hesitated. “What.”

“Do you feel anything for me now. Even uncertainty.”

I looked down into my coffee, watching the surface tremble faintly from my unsteady breath.

“I do not know,” I said honestly. “I feel something, but I do not trust it yet.”

His expression softened. “That is enough for now.”

I lifted my gaze slowly. His eyes held mine in a steady, unwavering way that made my heart tighten.

“You waited five years to say these things,” I whispered.

“Yes,” he said. “And I will wait longer if I have to.”

There was something incredibly vulnerable in that admission. A man who once lived behind walls now sat across from me, open in a way he had never been.

He reached for his coffee again, but instead of drinking it, he set it aside.

“There is another reason I want you to have time,” he said. “I want you to choose me freely, not because of the past or because we share a child.”

My heartbeat hitched. “What makes you think I will choose you.”

His voice lowered a little. “Because I see how you look at me when you think I am not watching.”

Heat rose to my cheeks. “I do not look at you.”

“You do,” he said, not smug, not teasing, simply telling the truth. “And you used to look at me like that five years ago.”

I inhaled sharply.

He continued, “The difference now is that I want to deserve it.”

His words struck deeper than anything else he had said. I felt my composure slip for a moment. I looked away, trying to collect myself.

He did not push. He let the silence settle.

After a few minutes, he said, “I know your break is almost over. I do not want to keep you longer than you planned.”

I stood slowly. He rose immediately.

“Thank you for meeting me,” he said.

I nodded, unable to trust my voice.

As I turned to leave, he spoke again, his tone softer than before.

“Amelia.”

I stopped but did not turn around.

“When you are ready,” he said, “I want to take you on a real date. Not forced. Not arranged. Not because of the past. Because I want to know you now.”

I felt that sentence all the way to my core.

But I did not answer. I walked away before my heart could betray me.

The rest of the workday passed in slow motion. I moved through tasks automatically, barely absorbing anything. Every quiet moment returned me to the café. His voice. The way he looked at me. The steady sincerity in every word.

By the time I left the office to pick up Lily, my mind was running in circles. But Lily’s smile brought me back to the present.

“Mama, look,” she said proudly, waving another drawing. “I made a moon city.”

“It is beautiful,” I said, lifting her into my arms.

At home, she asked for a story, then asked me to sit next to her until she fell asleep. I stayed, listening to her soft breathing, feeling a strange pressure in my chest.

When I finally went to my room, I sat on the bed with my phone in my hand. I expected a message from him, but there was none.

The disappointment surprised me again.

Against my better judgment, I typed:

Thank you for today.

I hesitated.

Then added:

I need time, but I am not saying no.

His reply came quickly.

I will wait as long as you need.

I put the phone down and lay back, staring at the ceiling.

He wanted me back.

And for the first time, I was beginning to wonder if I wanted him too.

Not because of the past.

Not because of Lily.

But because the man he had become was someone I did not expect. Someone steady. Someone sincere. Someone who looked at me like I mattered.

I exhaled slowly and closed my eyes.

Something was changing.

Something real.

And I could no longer pretend I did not feel it.