Anchor
Returning to school after a weekend at Angela's felt different.
Amanda stood in the parking lot for a moment, staring up at the familiar brick building, the sounds of students buzzing inside.
It should have felt overwhelming. Heavy.
Instead, it just felt… doable.
She took a deep breath and headed inside, the rhythm of her footsteps steady.
The morning unfolded in a blur of hallway greetings, quick staff meetings, and a pile of emails waiting in her inbox.
It wasn’t until lunch that she saw Angela again.
Amanda was digging through her bag for a granola bar when she heard the tap of knuckles against her open classroom door.
She looked up, heart giving a stupid little lurch.
Angela stood there with two coffees in hand, her smile casual but bright.
"Figured you might need this," she said, stepping inside.
Amanda grinned and took the offered cup. "You're a lifesaver."
Angela shrugged, settling onto the edge of a student desk like she belonged there. "I know."
They talked about nothing—lesson plans, Spork’s latest tantrum over bath time, a ridiculous typo in the school’s newsletter—but under it all, Amanda could feel the steady pulse of something more.
Something anchoring her.
Angela wasn't just a comfort anymore.
She was a constant.
A choice Amanda was making, over and over, even when it scared her.
At one point, Amanda laughed at something Angela said, and when she glanced up, she found Angela looking at her in that way she sometimes did—like Amanda was the only person in the room.
Amanda’s heart skipped a beat.
She ducked her head, smiling into her coffee cup, feeling more grounded than she had in months.
Maybe longer.
Maybe ever.