That was it.
No flirting or asking for my number.
Three days later, I ran into him again at a coffee shop near my office. After that, things slowly became regular.
And somehow, without me realizing it, he became part of my life.
Normally, I would’ve said no.
***
My boyfriend was patient, polite, and remembered the small things nobody else did, like how I hated driving at night, how I took my coffee, what day trash pickup was, and when my car needed an oil change.
After years of doing everything alone, being cared for felt strange, sometimes even uncomfortable, but it was peaceful.
Ava noticed him changing my life long before I admitted it to myself.
And for some reason, she didn’t like him from the start.
Ava noticed him.
Initially, I thought it was normal.
I chalked it up to teenage blues, maybe loyalty to her dad, or perhaps fear that someone new would change our lives.
But then she started acting differently.
She stopped hanging out in the kitchen after school. Ava also wasn’t watching movies with us on Friday nights.
If she heard his truck pull into the driveway, she suddenly had homework or something else to do upstairs.
Teenagers don’t exactly welcome change.
But deep down, I knew my daughter wasn’t just acting moody; she was watching and studying Ryan carefully.
As if trying to figure something out.
Then she started acting differently.
***
One night, Ryan came over with takeout from Ava’s favorite burger place.
Normally, she would’ve been excited. Instead, she grabbed her food and disappeared upstairs without even thanking him.
Ryan watched her leave, then looked at me.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” I said quickly. “She’s still adjusting.”
I had different excuses.
She misses how things used to be.
She’ll come around, eventually.
