The server came over, a familiar face who greeted us with a forced smile. “The usual?” “Yeah,” Enzo responded, handing back the menus. She nodded and left us alone, with nothing but the tension that we had brought in with us. “I’ve been thinking,” I began, twirling a napkin in my hands. “About w
“Because,” I paused, searching for the right words. “If we’re going to make these sacrifices, these huge life changes, I need to know it’s what we both want. And with everything else going on…” He looked at me, his eyes softening. “Nina, I want this child. But I can’t sit by and watch you and the
Nina It wasn’t long before I realized where Enzo was taking us: into town, and to the diner, the location of many a late-night date. “I should’ve known,” I murmured with a half-hearted smile as we slid into our regular booth. “It’s been a little while,” Enzo said, his eyes scanning the m
It was as if the air got thicker around us. Our milkshakes started to melt, the fries growing cold, but neither of us moved. The jukebox switched to another song, filling the space between us. “So what do we do?” I finally asked, my voice a mere whisper. “I wish I knew,” Enzo responded, his
Nina We finally broke the tension by taking a sip of our milkshakes and digging into the fries. Somehow, the act of eating felt like an unspoken agreement to a truce—at least temporarily. “You know, I’m good with your stipulations,” Enzo said, catching my eye across the table. “And I’ll make
“And Enzo,” I said, catching his eye one last time, “I mean it about keeping an eye on you. We’re both struggling, and we owe it to ourselves, and to our baby, to get the help we need.” He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine, and in that moment, I felt a strange combination of hope and dread, of
Nina Enzo’s hand gripped the doorknob, and with a resigned sigh, he swung the door open. Standing there was none other than Luke, his expression a mix of urgency and discomfort, as if he also wished that he were anywhere but here. The emotional and intimate energy between Enzo and me dissipa
Nina The morning light filtered through the enormous windows of our bedroom, casting a golden glow across the room. It was normally a sight that I looked forward to every morning, but today, I found it hard to appreciate. Sleep had eluded me after last night. I couldn’t let go of the image o