Amy stirred in her sleep, her cheek pressed against her fuzzy pillow , the faint hum of the city outside weaving its way into her dreams. A dull ache clung to her chest.... the kind that lingered after a goodbye you didn't understand.
The phone buzzed once. Then again.
Across the room, Sophie blinked awake at the vibration. Her eyes landed on Amy's phone: Jace calling.
She hesitated, watching her friend's face — so peaceful, finally — and slowly slipped the phone from the bedside. Her thumb hovered. She sighed and declined the call. Then, almost guiltily, she typed:
"She's asleep. She needed to be. Try again later."
She left the message unsent for a second, then pressed send.
In Charlottesville, Jace stared at the reply like it might mean something else if he blinked too many times.
He ran a hand through his already-disheveled hair. "She's asleep," he repeated aloud, as if it were a foreign phrase. He didn't know what stung more — that Amy hadn't answered, or that she didn't want to.
His mom's voice came again. "Jace? You alright, sweetheart?"
"Yeah," he said, slipping the phone into his pocket. "Just tired."
"She still hasn't answered?" She asked calmly.
He shook his head.
"Well," she said gently, "maybe she's waiting on you."
"I did call."
"But did you talk?" His mom's voice was calm. "There's a difference."
Jace looked down. "I don't know if she wants to hear it. I told her to leave. I thought I was protecting her. From my mess."
His mom tapped the bed beckoning on him to come sit. "Love's not about only showing up for the easy parts,its equally staying when it gets tough, hard and challenging."
He nodded, but words felt useless now. So he didn't speak them.
Just then his phone rang,his heart leapt excitedly. He hastily stands up and brings his phone out of his pocket. The excitement died almost immediately when he didn't see Amy's name but an unknown caller. He moves away from his mom and taps answer.
'Hello?" He said sniffing a bit.
'Hi, jace,it's Sophie" The caller said.
"Sophie??"
"Yh,I just took your number from Amy's phone. Sorry the text came from me" She said.
"I don't understand "
"I texted you through Amy's phone,she was extremely tired and had cried her eyes out before she eventually slept. I didn't want to disturb her"
"Oh, I'm really sorry about that,hope she's ok?" Jace asked concerned.
"She is but she's extremely hurt"
"I know,it's all my fault,I shouldn't have asked her to leave" Jace said rubbing his forehead.
"I honestly hope she understands" Sophie said and doesn't hear anything further from Jace.
"Alright then" Sophie said.
"Thank you, Sophie,I owe you one" He said.
"No worries" She said as she hangs up.
"Who was that?" Elizabeth asks.
"Sophie, Amy's friend" Jace said as he walked to the bed and sits down.
"Don't worry, J, everything would turn out right" Elizabeth said smiling.
"I really do hope so mom" Jace said.
...
The next morning, Amy woke to light pouring through the curtains and the sound of her own name.
"Amy?" Sophie's voice came from the kitchen. "Jace called last night."
Amy sat up quickly, her heart leaping, then crashing. "He did? And?"
"I… I didn't wake you." Sophie peeked out from the kitchen doorway, guilt flashing across her face. "I thought you needed rest. I texted him."
Amy grabbed her phone. Two missed call. One message.
"He certainly thinks I ignored him," she murmured, standing. "I wanted to talk to him, Sophie."
"I know. I just thought—"
"You didn't think,you could have just woken me up, Soph" Amy said upset walking to the kitchen.
"I'm sorry Amy,I just thought you needed to rest that's all"
"I could have still rested after I had spoken to him" Amy yelled trying to fight back her tears from streaming down.
"Well if you so much wanted to speak with him,why don't you call him" Sophie yelled back.
Amy felt attacked. Sophie was right,she could have called to make things right with Jace but instead she's waiting for him to. She looked at her phone but drops it on the kitchen counter almost immediately.
She could just dial his number and get it all over with,make things right with him and go back to normal like nothing ever happened but she wants to wait for him. She wants to know whether he still wants her.
"I'm sorry Soph, I don't know what got into me,I shouldn't have yelled" Amy said palming her face as she sat down on the high stool in the kitchen. Sophie smacked her lips and rolled her eyes good naturedly and walks round the counter to where Amy was.
She rests Amy's head on her belly as Amy wraps her hand round her waist.
"It's okay,I understand, love makes us do silly things" Sophie said and Amy laughs sniffing.
"Don't you think you should call him?" Sophie asked.
"I don't know anymore, Soph" She said as they disengaged from the half hug.
'Don't worry, everything will be fine" Sophia reassured and Amy nods positively.
"Now,have some breakfast,you slept through the whole day yesterday" Sophia said as she passed Amy some bacon and eggs.
"What would I have done without you?" Amy smiled.
"Absolutely nothing" Sophie replies and they laugh.
.....
The hospital room smelled faintly of antiseptic and warm applesauce. Jace sat in the hard-backed chair beside his mother's bed, absently rubbing the edge of his thumb while watching her breathe, steady and calm now. She looked better — color had returned to her cheeks, and the tight line of pain in her forehead had eased.
She turned to him, her voice a whisper. "You should get some air, honey. You look like you haven't slept."
"I'm fine," he said softly. "Just waiting for the nurse to bring the discharge paperwork."
A knock interrupted them. His sister, Becca, peeked in, her face glistening and her arms full of sunflowers.
"You really brought flowers to a woman being discharged?" Jace smirked.
Becca rolled her eyes. "They're for the kitchen counter. Some people still believe in ambiance."
Their mom chuckled, and Becca leaned in to kiss her cheek.
"You good?" she asked, looking at their mother with concern and then Jace.
"She's good," Jace said, rising. "Nurse said she'll be discharged soon. I'll go down and handle the bill."
Becca nodded. "Go. I'll stay."
Jace gave his mom's hand a final squeeze, then slipped out into the hallway, the hospital suddenly feeling colder once he left the room.
The lobby was half full — a couple arguing quietly near the reception desk, an older man sleeping upright in a sofa. Jace moved toward the billing counter, fingers in his pockets, when a familiar voice stopped him.
"Jace?"
He turned, surprised. "Gina?"
Regina Grant stood in front of him, her dark straight hair tucked under a beanie, long coat dusted with a few raindrops. She still had that same bright expression — the one that made people feel like they were being seen, even if they didn't want to be.
"Wow. I almost didn't recognize you," she said, offering a tentative smile. "You're... taller."
Jace laughed once, softly. "I think I've been this height since college."
"Well, still. Taller than the last time I saw you at least."
He nodded. "What are you doing here?"
"Visiting my aunt. She's in for a minor surgery — nothing serious." She glanced around. "And you?"
"My mom. Heart attack. But she's okay now." He tried to keep his voice steady, neutral.
"Oh Jace, I'm so sorry."
He nodded, brushing it off. "She's getting discharged today."
She tilted her head slightly. "And what about you .....are you okay?"
"I'm... Okay." He offered a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Kinda been a whirlwind."
Regina crossed her arms. "Well, I won't keep you. It's just... weird timing, I guess."
"Yeah. Yeah, it is." He hesitated, unsure what else to say.
She removed her beanie tucked some hair behind her ear. "You still in New York?"
"I am. Just down here for the wedding. My sister's. And then... everything else happened."
"Of course. I heard she got married, she looked stunning in the photos." Regina smiled gently, then after a beat: "You look... like you have a lot on your mind."
Jace's jaw tightened. "I do. Someone I care about… we're not exactly on the same page right now."
There was a pause. Not heavy, but loaded.
"I hope that works out," Regina said finally. "You've always been better when you weren't alone."
Jace met her gaze. College memories with her flashed before his eyes. For a moment, it felt like time folded in on itself. But he didn't feel what he used to feel with her — not the longing, not the ache. Only a strange, hollow fondness. Like seeing a chapter you'd already read, bookmarked for a while, but no longer your favorite.
"I should go," he said. "Mom's waiting."
Regina nodded. "I'd call you, It was nice seeing you, Jace."
"You too, Gina."
He turned to leave, and for a moment, it felt like nothing had happened. Except it had. Because the second he stepped back into the elevator, all he could think about was Amy. Not the girl from a past chapter but the one he'd written himself into without even realizing it.
Becca was waiting in the room, her arms crossed, expression amused.
"Took you long enough."
"Ran into someone."
Becca raised a brow. "Someone?"
He didn't answer.
"I saw your face walking in. You're somewhere else. You've been somewhere else since Amy left."
Jace sank into the chair beside her. "It's complicated."
"No, it's not," Becca said. "You love her. She loves you. You were scared. You messed up. Go fix it."
He looked at their mother who nods at him.
"She's right darling, make things right" She said.
"You are also worried about mom," Becca said. "I've got this. I'll take her home. I'll make her soup. I'll even play her old vinyls if it keeps her in bed."
Jace looked at her, hesitant.
"Go," she repeated. "Find her. She waited long enough,it been like what,three days already."
He stood slowly. "You sure?"
Becca smirked. "Don't make me call Amy myself and tell her you're brooding around here like a sad poet."
He let out a breath, something between a laugh and a sigh.
Then, for the first time in what felt like century, Jace moved with purpose.
Toward Amy.
Toward the apology he owed.
Toward the truth he'd finally learned to say out loud.