New Rhythms
Amanda woke late the next morning to the smell of coffee and the soft, rhythmic thud of Spork’s tail against the side of the couch.
For a moment, she stayed still, blinking up at the ceiling, listening to the quiet shuffle of Angela moving around the kitchen.
No demands. No expectations.
Just… peace.
She sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Spork immediately hopped up, tail wagging furiously, and planted himself in her lap.
"Traitor," Angela called from the kitchen, grinning over her shoulder. "I thought he was supposed to be my dog."
Amanda laughed, feeling lighter than she had in days. "Sorry. He has better taste."
Angela snorted and slid a mug of coffee onto the end table beside the couch. "Breakfast?"
Amanda hesitated. "I don’t want to—"
"You’re not," Angela cut her off easily. "Stay. Help me burn pancakes. It'll be a bonding experience."
Amanda smiled and stood, stretching.
In the kitchen, Angela was already sifting flour into a big mixing bowl, Spork circling her feet hopefully.
Amanda stepped in naturally, grabbing eggs from the fridge, measuring out milk. They moved around each other without thinking, bumping elbows, laughing when Angela misread the recipe and dumped in too much sugar.
It wasn’t perfect. The pancakes were lumpy. Spork managed to steal one off a plate when neither of them was looking.
But it was… easy.
It was something like happiness.
After they finished eating, Angela tossed Amanda a sweatshirt from the back of the couch and suggested a walk.
The morning was bright and crisp, the sidewalks still wet from last night's rain.
They walked without any particular direction, Spork tugging eagerly at his leash.
Amanda talked about books she wanted to read, trips she’d always dreamed about but never taken. Angela told her about the disaster that was her first job out of college, how she’d nearly quit a dozen times before finding her footing.
It was simple, small stuff.
But it mattered.
Amanda could feel it happening—the slow stitching together of something she hadn't dared believe she could have again.
A new life.
A life where she chose where she went.
Who she was.
Who she wanted beside her.
And with every quiet smile Angela sent her way, every easy joke, every shared glance…
Amanda’s heart answered, sure and steady.
She wasn't falling anymore.
She was landing.
Maybe for the first time ever.