A message lands midweek, sent by Ella through her phone screen. Saturday has plans unfolding, she says. Jayce is getting engaged, apparently. A bunch of people got the note at once, dropped into their chats without warning.
Months have passed since Jayce crossed my mind. Not deeply, anyway. His posts pop up now and then - startup news mixed in with other noise - but we never talk face to face anymore. Once things settled into just being friends, once he met Sophie and that stuck, the connection faded to something quiet, like music playing in another room. His path moves forward. So does mine. Distance sits well between us.
Yet a celebration before marriage? It marks something real. Something you do not miss.
I Respond With A Question About Time?
Later that day, she forwards the information; I add it to my schedule without hesitation. My attention stays fixed on the date, quietly looking forward.
