By the time Lily and I stepped out of the house, the cool Saturday breeze wrapped around us like an old friend.
The morning sun hung comfortably above the city, warming the sidewalks without the suffocating heat of summer. New York felt different on weekends. The streets were still busy, but people walked more slowly. Couples wandered hand in hand, children laughed outside cafés, and musicians filled street corners with soft melodies that floated through the air.
Lily linked her arm through mine as we walked toward the subway station.
"I've missed this," she said, giving my arm a gentle squeeze.
"So have I."
I smiled without thinking.
The last few weeks had been consumed by lectures, interviews, internships, and trying not to embarrass myself every time I found myself standing in the same room as Adrian. Somewhere along the way, I'd forgotten what it felt like to simply enjoy a Saturday.
Lily tilted her head, studying my face from the corner of her eye.
"There it is again."
I frowned.
"What?"
"That smile."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
She laughed, shaking her head as a few loose curls bounced around her shoulders.
"You smile a lot more now."
I rolled my eyes dramatically.
"I do not."
"You do."
"I think you're imagining things."
"Oh, sweetheart," she teased, nudging my shoulder with hers, "I've known you since we were fourteen. I know every version of your face."
I couldn't argue with that.
She really did.
The shopping district was already alive with people by the time we arrived.
Storefront windows sparkled beneath the sunlight, displaying elegant dresses, tailored coats, expensive handbags, and shoes I could never justify buying. Music spilled from open shop doors while conversations overlapped with the distant sounds of taxis and street performers.
Lily clapped her hands together.
"Today's mission..."
I laughed.
"Mission?"
"Yes."
She pointed dramatically toward the nearest boutique.
"We are not talking about work."
"Fine."
"We are definitely not talking about hotel management."
"I can do that."
"And..." She narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously.
"We are absolutely not talking about Adrian Blackwood."
I looked away a little too quickly.
"I wasn't going to."
"Mhm."
"I wasn't."
She snorted.
"You looked away before you even finished your sentence."
Heat crept into my cheeks.
"I hate that you notice everything."
She grinned triumphantly.
"It's my greatest talent."
For the next two hours, we wandered through shop after shop.
Lily insisted I try on dresses I would never have picked for myself. She held up bright colors against my shoulders while I argued they were too bold.
"They're not bold," she insisted, folding her arms.
"They're loud."
"They're beautiful."
"They're expensive."
"They're on sale."
I laughed.
"You're impossible."
"I've been told."
Inside one boutique, she shoved a deep emerald dress into my arms before practically pushing me toward the fitting room.
"Go."
"Lily..."
"Go."
Still laughing, I disappeared behind the curtain.
When I stepped back out a few minutes later, I almost didn't recognize myself.
The dress hugged my figure without being overly revealing. The rich green fabric brought warmth to my complexion, and for a brief second, I saw not the nervous intern who constantly worried about saying the wrong thing, but a young woman quietly growing into herself.
I caught my reflection in the mirror.
My fingers brushed lightly over the fabric at my waist.
I looked...
Confident.
Lily's eyes widened.
"Oh."
"What?"
"You are buying that."
I looked back at the price tag and nearly choked.
"I absolutely am not."
She groaned dramatically.
"You ruin everything."
Laughing, I disappeared behind the curtain again.
By the time we finished shopping, both our hands were full of small bags.
Nothing extravagant.
Just little things.
A scarf.
A notebook.
A new blouse for work.
Lily had somehow convinced me they counted as "responsible purchases."
The smell of cinnamon drifted toward us from a nearby bakery.
Lily stopped walking immediately.
"I smell sugar."
I laughed.
"Of course you do."
Five minutes later, we were sitting beside the café window with paper bags full of pastries between us and steaming cups of coffee warming our hands.
Outside, people drifted past beneath the afternoon sun.
Inside, conversations blended with the hiss of the espresso machine and the gentle clatter of ceramic cups.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
We simply enjoyed the quiet.
I broke off a small piece of my cinnamon roll and watched the icing slowly melt against the warmth of the pastry.
"This is nice," I said softly.
"It is."
Lily stirred her coffee lazily before lifting her eyes to mine.
"You know..."
Uh-oh.
I recognized that tone.
"What?"
She leaned back in her chair, wrapping both hands around her mug.
"I've been thinking."
"That usually worries me."
"It should."
I smiled.
Her expression, however, remained thoughtful.
"Ava..."
The way she said my name made me look up.
Fully.
Her eyes were kind.
Gentle.
Serious.
"I need you to promise me something."
My fingers paused around my cup.
"What?"
She hesitated for only a second.
"Don't build your whole life around one man."
The smile slowly slipped from my face.
Around us, the café continued humming with life, but the conversation at our table suddenly felt wrapped in its own quiet bubble.
"I mean it," she continued softly.
"You're twenty-two."
"You have dreams."
"You have talent."
"And you're beautiful whether you believe it or not."
I lowered my eyes to my coffee.
A faint blush warmed my cheeks.
"You have your whole life ahead of you," she said. "Travel. Meet people. Laugh too loudly. Make mistakes. Fall in love if it happens. Don't put your entire future on hold because of someone who may never be yours."
Her words settled heavily inside me.
Not because they were cruel.
Because they were true.
Or at least... they could be.
My thumb traced the rim of the paper cup.
"I know."
"No."
She shook her head gently.
"I don't think you do."
I looked out the café window.
A young couple walked past, laughing as they argued over whose turn it was to carry the shopping bags. An elderly man held the door open for a woman balancing two coffees. Somewhere farther down the street, a little girl chased a cluster of pigeons, her laughter rising above the noise of the city.
Life kept moving.
Whether hearts were ready or not.
"I've tried," I admitted quietly.
My voice barely rose above a whisper.
"I really have."
Lily didn't interrupt.
"I told myself college would change everything."
I swallowed against the tightness in my throat.
"I thought being away would help."
"It did..."
I let out a slow breath.
"...until he came back."
The confession lingered between us.
"He isn't just the man I fell in love with anymore," I continued. "Now I see him almost every day. I see how he treats people. How hard he works. How much everyone respects him. He's patient when he teaches. He notices things no one else does."
A small, helpless smile tugged at my lips.
"I keep telling myself to be professional."
"And are you?"
I laughed softly.
"I'm trying."
"But?"
I looked down at my hands.
My fingers were twisting the paper napkin into tiny folds without me realizing it.
"But every time he says my name..."
I shook my head with a quiet laugh at myself.
"...it feels like my heart forgets we're supposed to be pretending."
Lily reached across the table and gently unfolded the crumpled napkin from my hands.
"You deserve someone who chooses you without hesitation."
"I know."
"And if Adrian ever becomes that person..."
She smiled sadly.
"...I'll probably be the first one helping you pick out your wedding shoes."
That earned a genuine laugh.
"But until then..."
She squeezed my hand.
"...don't stop living."
I looked at our joined hands before meeting her eyes.
There was no judgment there.
Only love.
Only concern.
Only the quiet determination of someone who wanted the best for me, even if it hurt.
I squeezed her hand back.
"I'll try."
She smiled.
"That's all I'm asking."
Outside, the afternoon sun cast long golden streaks across the sidewalks as people continued filling the streets with easy weekend laughter.
For the first time in days, my thoughts weren't trapped inside conference rooms or luxury hotel suites.
I was simply Ava.
A daughter.
A best friend.
A young woman trying to find the balance between chasing her dreams and guarding her heart.
As Lily began teasing me about my terrible fashion choices again, I laughed until my sides hurt, grateful for the way she could pull me back to myself.
Neither of us noticed the familiar black luxury SUV slowly turning onto the street outside the café.
Or the man seated behind the tinted window whose eyes, entirely by chance, drifted toward the café just as we stood to leave.