Page 19 of The Way Home

“Damn. You really must like him.”

The sun hit Caleb’s face as he emerged from the station. He scanned the street, looking for the building Jamie had described. “I do, Tay. I…” He let out a breath when he spotted it and started walking, still early. “Ireallydo.”

A wave crashed in the background. “Well, go get him.”

Caleb smiled, tipping his head towards the sun.

“Text me after. I wanna hear everything,” Tay added.

“Will do.” Caleb hung up and approached the building, flowers in hand. His palms were a little sweaty, not entirely from the heat, and his stomach was in knots. He checked the address one last time and walked up the steps of a garden-style unit to a door with a flowered mat.

He took a deep breath and knocked.

“J!” a woman’s voice called from inside, followed by a muffled, “What?”

“Your date is here!”

A pause followed by more shuffling. “But—it’s quarter till!”

“You know he can probably hear you—”

“Ugh, answer it and give me a second!”

Footsteps approached, and Caleb took a small step back, suddenly remembering that Jamie had a roommate. And that the roommate was the woman from the bar, and his ex-girlfriend, and he was standing outside her door with flowers like an idiot—

The door swung open with a creak, and Caleb came face-to-face with Ellie.

“Hello, Caleb.” Her straight black hair was pulled into a tight, sleek ponytail, and she had on pink scrubs. A name tag pinned to her chest read:Nurse Marsh.

Caleb straightened as her eyes dropped to the flowers in his hands. “Hey… uh, Ellie, right?”

“Correct,” she said sternly.

From what he remembered, she was friendly at the bar. He squirmed a little as she eyed him up, glancing at his outfit and then back to the flowers. He towered over her, but somehow, her energy made him feel shorter, the way she angled herself in the doorway so he couldn’t get past.

Jamie’s voice called from somewhere inside. “Caleb, come in! I’ll just be a moment.”

“Take your time!” he called over Ellie’s shoulder.

With a quick glance at Ellie for permission, he stepped around her. He felt her gaze on him as he entered the small, cozy apartment. Looking around, he noted that the place had a cozy, messy charm to it. Lived-in, a little chaotic, but not dirty.

Caleb stepped over a backpack leaning against a worn sofa and turned, taking it all in. Plants covered almost every surface—some thriving, some barely hanging on—and there were bookseverywhere.

Caleb smiled. “I love your place,” he said honestly. More shuffling came from behind a door, and he imagined Jamie bumbling around, getting ready.

“We’ve lived here since we left uni,” Ellie replied.

Caleb glanced back at her, trying to place the edge in her tone. “How long’s that?”

“Three years.” She held his gaze until he turned away and drifted toward a gallery wall of photos. Clutching the flowers tighter, he stepped closer, taking in a picture of Jamie and Ellie in front of the Eiffel Tower.

“Long time,” he muttered.

“I’ve known Jamie since we were kids,” she added, drawing his attention back. Her eyes were burning now, and Caleb had the feeling she wanted to say more. If she was trying to make him nervous, she was doing a bang-up job.

He turned fully to face her, straightening his spine as his guard flew up. They stood there in a silent standoff, Caleb silently urging Ellie to just come out and say whatever it was she wanted to say. The longer it went on, the more the fire in her expression softened into something less severe. Almost… sad.

She glanced toward the bedroom, her shoulders easing. “He’s my best friend,” she said softly, too low for Jamie to hear. Probably.