Dani noticed the small smile on his face when she said that she didn’t want him to leave. But she couldn’t – she was still processing all of the emotions she had buried for so long. Of course this was exactly what she wanted to hear from him for so long. He seemed so genuine about what he was saying but she still expected the rug to be pulled out from under her at any second. That’s just how life seemed to work for her now. “I-I do miss you, Riley.” She stopped when he touched her hand and squeezed it. She wished he didn’t let go so quickly though. “I don’t know if I can forget what happened and I’m not promising anything but I can try and start over.”
“Really?” He asked, incredulously. He didn’t think she would give him the time of day, let alone give him the chance to start over. Everything was messing up with his ex-wife, he was going through a messy divorce, the lawyers were getting tired, and he knew that he was not okay. But this? This was finally something good happening, and he couldn’t help but feel the urge to wrap her up in his arms again like when they were in high school, but he stopped himself in time. She had agreed to start over, but she hadn’t agreed to be his best friend, and he stepped back. “That’s great, thanks, you won’t regret it, I promise Dani,” he said with a smile. “Look, I gotta go, I have a meeting in a bit, but I’ll see you at the opening, okay? Text me the time and address,” he said, looking at her with a smile and leaning in to give her a brief kiss on the cheek. “See you later, Dan,” he grinned, before leaving down the street, a smile plastered on his face.
