A tiny candle flickered between Lorna and Michael as they sat across from one another.
Their table was encased in a bubble of tension, thick with everything left unsaid, while the bistro hummed softly with the clinking of silverware and muted conversation.
For the first twenty minutes, they had talked about Jason, his favorite books, his school routines, and how he twisted spaghetti around his fork like a little gourmet.
Then there was quiet.
At last, Lorna broke it. "Why now, Michael?"
He raised his head and looked directly into her eyes. "Because I didn't want to confront it previously." I was unable to. Not after you're gone. and learning that I had a son that I was never permitted to see.
She bit the inside of her cheek and averted her gaze. "I had no intention of keeping him away from you. Life, however, spiraled. And Lucas—
"He is not his dad."
"Avoid saying that." Her voice broke.
Michael leaned closer. "I'd rather not tear Jason away from anybody. But Lorna, I must be in his life. Not as a visitor. as his dad.
She blinked rapidly, suppressing her feelings. "It's not that easy."
Michael said softly, "It is." "You're afraid."
"And you're not?" She fired back.
Her breath caught as he said, in a low voice, "I'm terrified, but for once, I'm willing to walk through the fear. For him. And for you."
The moment was filled with emotion, old, aching, and unresolved. She recalled nights spent laughing on rooftops and the way he used to look at her as though she was the only thing keeping him grounded.
He now looked at her in the same way, and she dropped her gaze. "I can't do this, Michael. Not again." "I'm not asking for us," he said, despite his eyes betraying the lie.
It was a long time before they spoke again.
However, neither of them wanted to get up from the table when the bill arrived.
—
Lucas, meanwhile, was sitting opposite Hope Pierce in a quaint corner café across town.
This conversation flowed more naturally than the one he had with Lorna. She made him feel seen by asking questions, but not in a superficial way.
When he told her about Jason's dinosaur obsession, she laughed, and her smile didn't seem out of place.
A sense of relief was felt.
She sipped her coffee and said softly, "You seem tired."
"I am," Lucas admitted. "Marriage. becoming a parent. You are eventually caught up in the past.
Hope refrained from pushing. All she did was nod. It's not always about outpacing the past. It's about determining if the person running next to you still wants to do so.
He blinked. Her remarks struck a chord.
They lingered for an additional hour. They didn't discuss Lorna. or Michael.
Hope reached for her cup, brushing her fingers against his, but neither of them pulled away.
It started to rain lightly outside, and the city lights became hazy. Two worlds, one at a silent café table and the other in a restaurant tainted by memories, approached a collision that neither really anticipated.