Chapter 26: Checking In
Anna
By Tuesday night, I'd managed to keep it together.
Barely.
I hadn't run into Kelvin again—not directly, anyway. I saw him in passing, through glass walls and at the far end of meetings I wasn't a part of. Each glimpse twisted something in my chest, but I kept my smile intact.
At lunch, I sat with Mason who, as always, kept things light and two newer hires from marketing, Kayla and Tara.
Both women were warm, witty, and more than happy to pull me into their circle.
"You survived your first meeting with David," Kayla grinned, nudging me with her elbow as we unwrapped our sandwiches.
"Barely," I laughed. "He asked me a question before I even sat down."
"That's how you know he likes you," Tara added, sipping her iced tea. "If he ignored you, that's when you should worry."
Mason grinned. "Don't scare her. Anna's holding her own just fine."
I smiled gratefully. It felt good to have a little normalcy, even if I was still dodging ghosts.
By the time I got home that night, I was tired but settled enough to call Cameron.
His name popped up on my screen with a small photo—us in Venice, three years ago. We looked happy then. Young. Easy.
I answered with a breath. "Hey."
"Hey, baby." His voice was smooth, familiar, grounding. "How's the new job treating you?"
"It's... intense," I admitted, curling up on the bed with one leg tucked under me. "Big office, smart people, terrifying deadlines. The usual."
He chuckled. "You love terrifying deadlines."
"I do," I said with a soft smile. "It's exciting. Challenging."
He paused. "You sound distracted."
"I'm just tired," I lied quickly. "Long day."
There was a short silence on the other end, and I knew he could feel I was holding something back. But Cameron wasn't the prying type—not usually. And I was grateful for that tonight.
"I've made a few new friends," I said, changing the subject. "There's a guy named Mason—super chill, friendly. And two girls from marketing, Kayla and Tara. They invited me out for drinks Friday."
"That's great," he said. "I'm glad you're settling in."
I hesitated. "I think this could be good for me. A fresh start."
"You deserve that," he said softly. "You've worked hard for it."
I swallowed the lump in my throat, guilt slipping in uninvited. He didn't know I'd kissed someone else less than a week ago. He didn't know the someone was Kelvin.
He didn't know I'd been dreaming about the past more than the future lately.
"Yeah," I whispered. "I did."
We talked a little longer—his new project, his parents visiting next weekend, whether I'd come see him soon. I said maybe. I said I'd check my calendar.
But as I ended the call and stared at the ceiling in the dim light of my room, one thought wouldn't leave me:
Cameron was everything I should want.
But Kelvin was the only one who made my heart ache like this.