The Café Between Us

The bell above the café door chimed as Emma stepped inside, shaking the raindrops from her coat. The rich scent of coffee and cinnamon surrounded her, wrapping her in warmth. She glanced around, searching for an empty table, but the small café was unusually crowded.

“Emma?”

She turned at the familiar voice and froze. Sitting by the window, coffee cup in hand, was Noah.

Noah Carter. The boy she had loved, lost, and spent the last three years trying to forget.

His blue eyes widened in surprise before softening. “Hey,” he said, standing up slightly. “It’s been a while.”

Emma swallowed, forcing a polite smile. “Yeah, it has.”

She hesitated. Walking away would be easier. Safer. But then Noah gestured to the empty seat across from him. “Do you want to sit?”

Her heart waged war against her mind, but in the end, her heart won. “Sure,” she said, placing her coffee cup down as she slid into the chair.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The rain tapped gently against the window, and the hum of quiet conversation filled the space between them.

“You look good,” Noah said finally, his voice softer than she remembered.

Emma let out a small laugh. “You don’t have to say that.”

“I mean it.” He studied her, his gaze lingering like he was memorizing her all over again. “How have you been?”

“Good,” she lied. “Busy. Work, life, you know how it is.”

He nodded, tracing the rim of his coffee cup. “I—uh, I heard you moved to Boston for a while.”

“Yeah,” she said, surprised he knew. “Needed a change of scenery.”

“And now you’re back?”

Emma took a sip of her coffee, choosing her words carefully. “For now.”

Noah exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. “Emma…” He hesitated, then shook his head. “I wanted to reach out. So many times. But I thought—I don’t know, I thought you wouldn’t want to hear from me.”

She looked down at the table, her fingers tightening around her cup. “I wasn’t sure I did.”

A pause. Then, quietly, “Do you now?”

She looked up, meeting his gaze. And suddenly, all the memories, all the late-night conversations, all the love they had shared—it all came rushing back.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I think…I think I’d like to find out.”

Noah smiled then, slow and hopeful. “How about we start with coffee?”

Emma let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

“Coffee sounds good,” she said.

And as the rain continued to fall outside, two hearts that had once been broken found their way back to something that might just be worth trying again.