Chapter Eleven: Our Place

Our place was the sidewalk.

Khloe arrived five minutes early.

Jacob was already there.

But not like before.

He sat in the same spot. Dark jeans. Plain t-shirt. No disguises.

He wasn’t pretending to be someone else.

He was just him.

“Jacob?”

He stood.

“You came?”

“I did.”

They looked at each other.

Time seemed to bend.

“Will you sit with me?” he asked.

She sat beside him on the sidewalk.

“Just like before.”

“Just like always.”

“Did you watch the press conference?” he asked.

“I did.”

“You did what you said you would.”

Jacob lowered his eyes.

“I lost a lot of friends. Sponsors. But I got back what really matters. My name. And a chance to start over.” He paused. “Even if it’s alone.”

“You’re not alone anymore, Jacob.”

She said it softly.

“Even when I told you to leave, you never left my thoughts.”

He looked at her, surprised.

“I never asked you to forgive me. I didn’t know if I deserved it. But now I need to ask you something.”

“What?”

“To let me try again. From the beginning. No contracts. No wild promises. Just me. With you.”

“What if I’m still scared?”

“Then we’ll be scared together.”

Khloe’s eyes welled up.

“I don’t know how this ends, Jacob.”

“Neither do I. But if you want to walk beside me—” He reached for her hand. “I’m willing to find out.”

He smiled. A smile she hadn’t seen in weeks.

“I didn’t expect to hear that. But I’ve dreamed about it every day.”

Khloe smiled too. Still shy.

“I still want answers. I’m not going to pretend I trust you completely. But when you disappeared, you took a piece of me with you.”

“I never meant to take anything. I just wanted to protect you from my mess.”

“Then now—” She squeezed his hand. “Let me into it. We’ll handle the mess together.”

“Is that a deal?”

“No contracts,” she said.

He laughed.

“No contracts.”

They sat there for a while.

Side by side. On the sidewalk where a waitress once fed a homeless man.

Neither said a word.

It had already been said.

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