Page 55 of New Growth
He wasn’t Jonathan, and this wasn’t my past.
But my body didn’t seem to know the difference.
The door creaked open fiercely behind me.
“Ellie?”
Elliot’s voice was careful, like he was afraid of startling me. I didn’t turn around, but I shoved the flask back into my coat pocket before he could see it. My hands were still shaking as he approached.
“Hey, is everything okay?”
“I’m fine,” I snapped.
He just stood there, looking at me as I tried to level my breathing.
“Did I do something wrong?”
I swallowed, still staring at the pavement. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”
Silence stretched between us before he broke it softly. “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
I shook my head. “It’s not you.”
I heard him shift hesitatingly as he kept his eyes on me. “You wanna go?”
I sighed, pressing the heel of my palm to my temple for relief. “Yeah. I think I’m done for tonight.” I exhaled slowly.
“Okay,” he said. “I can drop you home.”
“No. I’m fine.” My voice was tight, leaving no room for argument. “Thank you for today. But I can’t do this right now.”
I turned to leave, my legs stiff, my body still coiled like a spring.
“Ellie?” His voice followed me, edged with something close to worry. “Can we talk about this, please?”
I didn’t turn back. I didn’t slow down. I waved down the next cab that passed, climbed in, and slammed the door shut behind me.
As the car pulled away, I couldn’t look back at him. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and pressed my forehead against the window, watching the city blur past in streaks of neon and headlights.
I needed to rest.
My phone buzzed.
I glanced down, half-expecting a message from Elliot. But it wasn’t him.
New Email: Hair Expo Acceptance.
My stomach flipped as I unlocked my phone, my heart hammering for an entirely different reason now. The email sat open on my screen, the words glowing like a dream.
Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that your salon has been selected to participate in the Atlanta Hair Expo.
I reread the email once. Twice. Five times. My fingers trembled as I scrolled down, taking in every word, every confirmation that this was real.
I had been accepted.
A slow, disbelieving smile spread across my face, my earlier emotions momentarily drowned out by this moment. This was real. This was happening. And it was possible I still had a few happy moments waiting for me in the future.
Fun.
