“ oh, ” she blinked, then turned toward the open box by the window, kneeling beside it like it hadn’t been packed half on purpose. her fingers moved carefully, a soft noise of recognition escaped her lips when her hand brushed against the wooden palette, still speckled with a dried constellation of blue and ochre and violet. “ found it. ” she offered it out to him, eyes catching his for just a second ⸻ enough to look like a thank you, an apology, and a memory all at once. her voice came again, lighter now. “ do you want coffee or something? ” she asked, already moving toward the kitchen like it wasn’t a question ⸻ like she didn’t hate that she still remembered how he liked it. the coffee machine hummed to life behind her. she reached for the mugs without turning around, suddenly hyperaware of the silence stretching between them, thick with things unsaid. she hated how things ended. hated that she’d been the one to call it quits, even when everything in her had screamed stay. hated how fast he’d agreed. like it didn’t wreck him too. “ i didn’t mean to pack it, by the way, ” she added, a weak smile tugging at her lips. “ i just… wasn’t really looking when i boxed things up. ” a beat. “ i couldn’t. ” she handed him a mug, fingers brushing his for the briefest moment ⸻ a flicker of warmth she pretended not to feel. she leaned back against the counter, letting the steam fog the space between them. “ you don’t have to rush off. ” her gaze dropped to her coffee. “ i mean, unless you’ve got somewhere to be. ” her smile stayed this time, but it was fragile, stitched together by everything she couldn’t quite say. maybe this wasn’t closure. maybe it was a pause before the real goodbye. but for now, she’d take the pause. just a little longer. just until the coffee went cold.
