The bus ride wasn’t particularly long, but it felt like I had been sitting there for hours. I leaned my head against the window, watching the streets blur into each other, the hum of the engine filling the space around me. The city came alive the closer we got to Rhys’s apartment—people walking briskly, vendors calling out, the occasional dog barking from a park bench. It wasn’t the chaos that made my chest tighten; it was the anticipation. The thought of seeing Rhys always did that to me, like my emotions were trying to outpace my logic.
By the time the bus pulled into the stop near his building, the sun was low in the sky, casting long shadows across the sidewalks. I adjusted the strap of my bag as I stepped off, the faint scent of warm bread wafting from the bakery across the street. I
