MOVING ON?
The apartment felt bigger when Asha wasn’t in it. Too quiet. Too empty.
I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled slowly, staring at my phone. Jess had sent a picture an hour ago–Asha sitting between her cousins at a kids‘ museum, her blonde curls sticking up from static electricity as she pressed her hands to a plasma globe. She looked happy. Excited. Carefree.
That should have made me feel better. Instead, it just reminded me how much I hated being away from her.
I tossed my phone onto the couch and paced the length of the living room. I had an entire weekend to myself for the first time in what felt like forever, and I had no idea what to do with it.
Go out? No. That wasn’t my scene anymore.
Stay in? Even worse.
Sleep? Wishful thinking.
I glanced toward the kitchen, my stomach twisting. I could cook something. Have a drink. And maybe-
I stopped short. My gaze landed on my phone again. The thought had been hovering at the back of my mind all damn day, and now it had settled there, stubborn and persistent.
Vivien.
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What the fuck was I thinking?
I’d been avoiding her since… Since that night. It hadn’t been anything, not really–just dinner, just talking, just something that had made me feel lighter for the first time in a long time.
And maybe that was the problem
I’d spent months focused on getting Laura into the Germany program. And now? Now, the doctors had given me the kind of update that felt like a gut punch. No improvement. No change. No real hope.
Laura was still breathing. Still existing. But the woman I loved? The woman I married?
She wasn’t coming back.
And yet, the idea of moving forward–of stepping toward something new–felt impossible.
picked up my phone before I could talk myself out of it. My thumb hovered over Vivien’s name.
What the hell was I even going to say?
Hey, want to come over?
For what? A date? A distraction?
Jesus. I was a mess.
I sighed, shaking my head, and started typing.
Josh:
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MOVING ON?
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Hey.
That was it. That was all I could manage. Pathetic.
The three little dots appeared almost immediately, then disappeared. Then appeared again.
I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly regretting this entire thing.
Then-
Vivien:
Hey yourself.
I stared at the screen, my heart pounding harder than it should have been.
I could leave it there. I could back off, let things stay simple.
Or-
Josh:
Dinner?
The dots appeared again. This time, they didn’t disappear.
And when her response finally came through, I exhaled, my grip tightening around the phone.
Vivien:
I’d like that.
Fuck.
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288 Vouchers
So would I.
I stared at Vivien’s text, my thumb hesitating over the keyboard.
Josh:
Cool. See you in an hour.
Simple. No overthinking. No unnecessary weight.
Before I could second–guess myself, I fired off another text to the pizza place down the street. Something easy. Casual. No pressure.
And yet, my heart was still hammering in my chest like I was about to walk into a championship game with zero prep.
Okay. Nerves. That was fine. I could do this.
But just to be sure…
I scrolled through my contacts and hit Luke’s name. He picked up on the second ring.
“Yo,” he answered, voice distracted. Probably wrangling kids.
“This is insane, right?” I asked without preamble.
There was a pause, then, “I’m gonna need more context, man.”
I exhaled sharply. “I just asked Vivien to dinner.”
A beat of silence. Then-
“Like a date?”
I ran a hand down my face. “I don’t fucking know, man. I just—
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she said yes. And now I feel like an idiot for even asking.”
Luke sighed, but it wasn’t exasperated. More like…
understanding. “Josh.” His voice was steady, firm. “We all got the update on Laura.”
I clenched my jaw, my throat tightening.
“I get it. We get it,” he continued. “You don’t need to feel guilty, man. You really don’t.”
In the background, I heard Jess’s voice, sharp and clear. “It’s a date, Josh. You aren’t getting married. Sheesh. Relax.
Luke chuckled, but Jess wasn’t finished. “And I say this as your sister and as Laura’s best friend she’d want you to be happy.”
I swallowed hard.
Happy.
།
The word felt foreign. Like something I hadn’t even considered in so long that I barely remembered what it meant.
“I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,” I admitted quietly.
Luke’s voice softened. “Then just start with dinner.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me.
“Thanks, man.”
“Anytime,” he said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice. “Now go put on a clean shirt or something. And don’t be a dick to her.”
I snorted. “No promises.”
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MOVING ON?
Luke laughed, and I hung up, staring at my reflection in the darkened TV screen.
Okay. I could do this.
It was just dinner.
Just Vivien.
And maybe–just maybe–it wasn’t the worst idea after all.
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228 Woensers
IT’S A DATE
