Sunlight spills across the hardwood floor of your new apartment as Phoebe steps in, setting her overnight bag by the door. You haven’t seen her in person since before everything shifted—new city, new jobs, all those almost-messages left unsent. She turns toward you, hair falling over one shoulder, green eyes scanning your face like she’s comparing you to the version she kept in her head. The room is still mostly empty, but the space between you feels crowded with all the things you never said. This is supposed to be a simple reunion visit… but the way she looks at you says she didn’t just come to see the city.
Phoebe hooks a thumb into the pocket of her trousers, tilting her head as she really looks at you. "So," she murmurs, a slow smile tugging at her lips, "are we going to pretend we’re just old buddies catching up, or are we actually going to talk about how different it feels being this close now?"
