Jack, Marie, and Rob shed their jackets and hung them by the door before weaving their way toward the small table by the window.

  When Jack’s eyes landed on Holly, the room seemed to slow down.

  Until now, he’d only ever seen her in overalls or cardigans. But today, she wore a fitted black blouse that made her hair look darker and her hazel eyes lighter. She wore large, simple yet bold, loop earrings and a soft pink-red lipstick.

  Jack wasn’t prepared for how much the change pulled his focus. It wasn’t that she looked different. It was that she didn’t. This was still Holly. But this time, there was no missing how pretty she was.

  Thankfully, Marie got there first, giving Jack a few seconds to steady himself.

  “Hi, Holly! Nice to finally meet you in person,” she said, pulling her into a hug.

  “Marie!” Holly smiled. “You’re even prettier than your avatar.”

  “By the way, I love your earrings.”

  “Oh, thank you!”

  Rob stepped in next. “Hey.”

  “Hi, Rob.”

  Then Holly’s eyes found Jack. Her smile stayed, but Jack noticed her posture shift—shoulders straighter, chin a touch higher. “Hi, Jack.”

  “Hello, Holly.”

  All four of them slid into their seats.

  “Thanks for inviting me,” Holly said, grabbing her coffee mug. “I didn’t have anything planned for the afternoon.”

  Marie leaned forward. “Don’t thank us. Thank Jack. He’s the one who came up with the idea.”

  Jack shot Marie a glance, but Holly had already turned toward him, her smile a little warmer now. “Thanks, Jack.”

  “Of course,” he said, lightly tugging at the edge of his sleeve under the table. “How long did you wait for us?”

  Holly gave her cup a little swirl. “About half an hour.”

  “You got here early,” Jack said, raising an eyebrow.

  She gave a casual shrug. “Had to case the café first. You know, in case this was some elaborate kidnapping setup.”

  Jack blinked. “What?”

  “Relax, silly—I’m kidding.” Holly glanced at the others. “So, how are you guys doing?”

  “We’re good, good,” Rob said. “Marie here is excited to try her first pastel de nata.”

  “You’ve never had one?” Holly asked, eyebrows rising.

  Marie shook her head. “I’m a blank slate.”

  “You’re in for a treat,” Holly said, grinning.

  “Thanks.”

  “Jack told me in the text that you’re visiting for the weekend.”

  “Oh yeah,” said Marie, “We spent yesterday with Jack’s parents. It was lovely!”

  “Oh yeah?” Holly asked, her eyes flicking to Jack.

  Jack caught the glance. “They threw a little party to celebrate us coming up with the money for the treatment.”

  Holly’s expression lit up. “Wait! You already got the money?”

  Jack nodded. “I was waiting to tell you in person.”

  “Oh my goodness. That’s incredible, Jack.”

  “My dad’s starting nano-chemo tomorrow already. Can you believe it?”

  “I’m so happy for you,” she said, voice soft.

  “That’s why today we celebrate.” Jack gestured to the table with a sweep of his hand. “My treat. Let’s go nuts, guys.”

  “Ooh, someone’s feeling generous,” Rob said, leaning back with a grin. “I’ll have one pastel de nata to eat now, and 500 to take, please.”

  “I’ll want that same order depending on how I like these tarts,” Marie added.

  “Haha. Funny, guys, but seriously. All of you helped save my dad.”

  Rob cleared his throat.

  “—and Rob’s uncle,” Jack added, glancing at him. “It’s the least I can do.”

  “I won’t say no,” Marie said with a smile.

  Jack rubbed his hands together. “Alright. How about a pastel de nata for each of us and three coffees to get started?”

  “Four,” Holly corrected, tapping her mug. “Don’t forget me.”

  “Oh? Going for seconds already?” Jack teased, glancing at her nearly empty cup.

  “There’s no such thing as too much coffee, Jack.”

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Jack gave her a nod, a smile tugging at his lips. “Couldn’t agree more.”

  *

  Time blurred as the afternoon rolled on.

  Though things had started off a little awkward, thanks to bumping into Lydia, everything quickly fell into place after just a couple of minutes. Conversation flowed, laughter came easy, and before they knew it, two hours had passed.

  Marie stood up and stretched. “Okay. My train leaves soon. We'd better start heading toward the station.”

  “Where do you live?” Holly asked.

  “Providence.”

  “Really? I have a cousin there! I visit her sometimes.” She turned to Jack. “Wait! Is that why you were on that train that day? Were you visiting Marie?”

  “That’s right. Marie invited me to come over so we could meet a friend of hers from the game.”

  “Oh my goodness. So that’s why we were both coming back from Providence!”

  Jack chuckled. “Yeah. It is.”

  “What are you doing after this?” Marie asked.

  “Nothing much,” Holly said. “Guess I’ll just head back to campus.”

  “Is the train station far, Rob?” Marie asked.

  “No… Back Bay is just a few blocks.”

  “Holly, if you’re not in a rush, wanna walk with us to the station? The fresh air might do us good before we all head back,” Marie said.

  “That’d be nice,” Holly said after a moment.

  “Awesome!” Jack said, happy to have a few more minutes with Holly.

  The four of them left the café together, stepping into the cool afternoon light.

  *

  After a brisk walk, the group had arrived at the station. Marie turned toward them. “I guess it’s time to say goodbye.” She stepped over to Jack and pulled him into a hug. “Thanks for making me feel at home.”

  “Of course,” Jack said. “You’re always welcome to stay with us.”

  “Try jogging more,” she said playfully. “Otherwise, I’ll leave you in the dust next time.”

  “Haha. Funny.”

  Then she turned to Holly. “It was really nice seeing you.”

  “You too,” Holly said.

  Rob looked at them. “I’ll go with Marie to the platform. Help her with her bag. You guys mind?”

  Jack smiled at how neatly Rob had carved out a moment for both couples with a single move. Since when had his cousin gotten this smooth?

  “Not at all,” Jack said.

  Rob gently took Marie’s hand, and the two of them disappeared into the crowd.

  That left Jack and Holly standing together.

  “So,” Holly said, “your cousin and Marie, huh? You didn’t tell me you had a cousin who’s dating a streaming star.”

  Jack laughed nervously. “Yeah, it’s pretty recent.”

  “They look happy,” she said, glancing after them.

  “They do. Why don’t we sit over there on those benches?” he asked.

  “Sounds good! I could sit down,” Holly said.

  The benches were cool, but not uncomfortably so. Jack swallowed. His mouth felt dry. If he was going to say something, this was the moment.

  “Holly, what about you?” he asked.

  Holly blinked. “About me?”

  “Do you… Are you seeing someone?”

  She hesitated, just for a beat, then shook her head. “No. I’m not.”

  “Oh,” Jack said, trying and failing not to smile too much. “Okay.”

  “And you?” she asked.

  “No. Me neither.”

  There was a pause.

  “What about that girl we saw outside the café?” Holly asked, her gaze dropping. “She was gorgeous. You guys seemed close.”

  Jack stiffened, caught off guard. He hadn’t expected her to bring that up. For a moment, he searched for the right words, aware of his pulse picking up.

  “That was my ex.”

  “Oh,” she said, more carefully now. “How long ago did you break up?”

  “About two months.”

  “Two months?” she asked, surprised. “That’s… recent.”

  Jack hesitated. Hearing her say it out loud stung more than he expected.

  “Is she the one who dumped you because you weren’t ‘taking life seriously’?” Holly said between air quotes.

  Jack lifted his hands, half-laughing. “Hey, feelings here. But… yeah. That was her.”

  “Do you still like her?”

  “No,” he said without hesitation.

  “It’s normal to still have feelings for an ex. Especially after only two months,” Holly pressed gently.

  “I know. But I don’t think about her anymore. That chapter’s closed.”

  He glanced at her—and caught her trying to hide a smile, eyes down. Maybe Marie was right. Maybe she did like him. That gave him the courage he needed.

  “You know what? I guess I’m grateful to her.”

  “Grateful?”

  “I think the day she broke up with me was both the worst and best day of my life.”

  “Why is that?”

  “It sucked at the time. But if she hadn’t ended it, and if my parents hadn’t pushed me, I wouldn’t have started playing the game. And if I hadn’t started…” He shrugged. “A lot of good things wouldn’t have happened.”

  “Like helping your dad,” she said.

  “Yeah. And meeting Horace, Amari, and Marie. I mean, sure, I’d still know Rob—” he added with a small smile.

  She laughed gently.

  “—but I wouldn’t have met you.”

  The words hung in the air. Holly looked at him. And he looked right back at her, neither of them moving.

  “Meeting you,” he added, softer now, “was a big deal.”

  A train rumbled in the distance, low and steady.

  “Jack, I—” she began.

  “Hey, guys! Marie’s train just left,” Rob called as he reappeared.

  The spell was broken, and both of them finally looked away.

  Rob seemed to sense the bubble's burst. “Oh! Sorry. I didn’t realize the two of you were talking about something. Didn’t mean to interrupt it. Should I come back later?”

  “No! Not at all,” Holly said, a little too quickly. She rose and reached for her bag. “It’s getting late. I should go too.”

  “Why don’t I go with you?” Jack offered.

  Holly hesitated, then smiled—faint, tight, not quite convincing. “It’s okay. You don’t have to.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. It’s not far. Bye, Rob. Bye, Jack,” she said, leaving with quick steps.

  “See you in the game?” Jack asked.

  “Yeah,” she said. “See you.”

  And just like that, she left and disappeared into the crowd.

  Rob stepped up beside him, watching her go. “Jack, what just happened?”

  Jack didn’t answer right away. Holly’s words, her glance, the almost in her voice—they echoed in his chest, unanswered.

  “I’m not sure,” he said at last.

  *

  The trip home was the quietest part of the weekend—and the saddest. Rob was sorry to see Marie go, and Jack was still trying to make sense of what had happened with Holly. Neither of them said much on the way back.

  When he got home, the house was empty. A plate of leftover party food from the day before sat on the counter, covered in plastic wrap. There was a little note beside it saying “Gone off to work.”

  After a quiet dinner, Jack went upstairs to get ready to return to the game.

  As he was about to enter his bedroom, his father came out of the bathroom.

  “Jack! You’re back?”

  “Hi, Dad! We went to the café we like downtown. I brought some pastéis de nata. They’re downstairs.”

  “Thank you! I’ll get one right away. By the way, are we still on for tonight?”

  “Yeah. I’ll come pick you up soon after I log in.”

  “Alright, then. I’ll be waiting.”

  Jack entered his room and sighed. The time off the game had done wonders for him. That morning’s jog, plus real sleep and decent meals, had cleared his head. But his feelings were tangled and raw.

  The moment lingered—when they’d asked each other if they were single, and Holly had left so suddenly. Why had she gone like that? Had he spooked her? Maybe she didn’t feel the same after all. Or maybe she’d just been surprised by Rob’s sudden appearance and got shy.

  He fiddled with his phone for a moment before finally gathering the courage to text.

  Hi, Holly. I just wanted to check in and make sure you got home safely. I had a lovely time today. Thank you for coming.

  He sighed. He’d left the door open if she wanted to keep talking, but hadn’t asked anything directly.

  His capsule hissed open—the gaming pod ready. He tidied up a few things around the room, waiting for the phone to buzz.

  It finally did.

  I arrived safely, thank you. I’m going to rest now. Have a good night.

  Jack reread the message. Each sentence was short. No emojis, which wasn’t like her. And she ended the conversation before it started. What did it mean?

  Even though he wanted to call her and ask, he didn’t. Instead, he climbed into the capsule and let it close around him.

  The game was waiting. Even so, part of him was still stuck on that bench, wondering what she'd been about to say.