iverse was finally giving her a break. He was charming in a soft-spoken way. A graphic designer with a dry sense of humor, he was thoughtful, attentive on their first few dates. He asked about her go

otionally? He was a ghost in real time. The next day, she met Eli for coffee and asked him directly, "Are you actually interested in something serious? With me?" He looked at her, hesitant. "I mean... I like you, Ava. A lot. But I'm not in a place to commit right now. Maybe in a few months-" She cut him off with a soft, tired smile. "You're a good guy, Eli. But I've been a 'maybe' before. I'm not doing that again." She left without dramatics. No crying. No anger. Just clarity. Later that evening, as she walked home past the gym where it all started, her phone buzzed again. Lucas: If you ever want to talk, I'm still here. Ava paused, looked at the message for a long moment... and deleted it. Because for once, she wasn't walking toward someone-she was finally walking back to herself. Later that evening, as she walked past the gym where it all started, her phone buzzed. Lucas: If you ever want to talk, I'm still here. This time, she didn't delete the message. She didn't reply right away either. But a few days later, when she was feeling restless and