The apartment still smelled like her.
Caitlyn didn’t know how that was possible. Two months had passed since New Year’s Eve. Since she had broken her own rule and called Vi. Since Vi had answered. Happy New Year, Cupcake. I miss you too. Words that had settled deep into her bones, that had kept her up that night, staring at the ceiling, wondering if they meant something.
She should’ve known better than to hope.
After that, there were a few texts, careful and distant, neither of them sure how to be in each other’s lives anymore. And then, silence.
She hadn’t texted first. Neither had Vi.
It was easier to pretend it was for the best when there were no excuses left. No birthdays. No holidays. No more reasons to hear her voice. Caitlyn told herself she was fine. She told herself she’d move on.
Then Valentine’s Day arrived, and the city made a cruel spectacle of it.
She stepped outside that morning and was instantly reminded of everything she’d been trying to forget. Couples everywhere—walking hand in hand, stealing kisses on street corners, laughing over heart-shaped pastries. Even the café downstairs had leaned into it, pink-and-red decorations strung across the walls.
Caitlyn ordered a black coffee, ignored the heart drawn in the foam, and left before the barista could ask about her plans for the night.
She had none.
Maddie had asked her out a few days ago.
Maddie, who was easy to talk to. Maddie, who was warm, funny, who was interested.
Maddie, who wasn’t Vi.
Caitlyn had almost said yes. It would’ve been the logical thing to do—to let someone new in, to try, to move on. But logic didn’t change the way her chest ached when she thought about Vi. It didn’t change the way she still reached for her in the middle of the night, half-asleep, before remembering she wasn’t there.
So she said no.
Maddie deserved someone who could be present, someone who wouldn’t spend the entire date thinking about an ex-girlfriend who still had her hooks buried deep in her heart.
And now, as the hours dragged on, she regretted it—not because she wanted to be with Maddie, but because she didn’t want to be alone.
She cleaned to keep busy. It didn’t help. Every corner of the apartment was still haunted. The shampoo bottles in the bathroom. The leather jacket draped over the chair, untouched since Vi had left it there. The stupid coffee mug Vi had claimed as hers, still sitting on the shelf.
She should’ve packed them up by now.
She didn’t.
Her phone was silent.
She wanted to text Vi.
She wouldn’t.
And then, just as she was about to resign herself to another night of pretending she was fine, her phone buzzed.
Caitlyn grabbed it too fast, heart already hammering. She knew before she even looked. She knew.
Vi: Happy Valentine’s, Cupcake. Wanna get dinner?
Caitlyn’s breath caught.
She should say no. She should protect herself. She should—
Caitlyn: Where?
A pause.
Vi: That place on 5th. 7 PM?
Caitlyn exhaled, pressing a hand to her chest as if she could steady the riot inside her. The restaurant. Their restaurant.
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
Caitlyn: Okay.
The restaurant was just as she remembered. Warm lighting, the scent of fresh bread curling through the air.
Vi was already there when Caitlyn arrived, leaning against the wall outside, hands shoved into the pockets of her jacket. The same jacket. The one still draped over Caitlyn’s chair at home.
Vi straightened when she saw her, something shifting in her eyes—hesitation, maybe, or something softer.
“Hey,” Vi said.
Caitlyn swallowed. “Hey.”
Inside, it was too easy to slip back into old rhythms. The conversation started careful, but it didn’t take long before Vi was cracking dumb jokes, and Caitlyn was rolling her eyes but smiling anyway. They talked about work. About nothing. About everything except them.
And yet, it lingered.
Halfway through the meal, Vi toyed with her glass, glancing at Caitlyn. “I, uh… I almost didn’t text you.”
Caitlyn looked up. “Why?”
Vi hesitated. Then, with a small, wry smile: “Didn’t know if you’d want to hear from me.”
Caitlyn’s chest ached. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to hear from me either.”
Vi huffed a quiet laugh. “Yeah. Guess we’re both idiots.”
Caitlyn exhaled, shaking her head. “Yeah.”
A beat of silence. Then.
“I still love you.”
Soft. Unsteady. Real.
Vi looked at her, eyes bright, open in a way they hadn’t been for a long time. “I still love you too.”
Caitlyn felt something in her chest loosen. It wasn’t everything. It wasn’t a promise.
But maybe… it was a start.