All My Stars by Madeline Touchet

Author:Madeline Touchet [Touchet, Madeline]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-12-13T16:00:00+00:00

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Rose moved out last night and as sad as I am to see her leave, I’m also happy to be alone. I never thought I would say that but I know this is the best thing for me right now. I need to focus on moving on and I need to be able to do that alone. I’m looking at myself in the mirror one last time before I head out to see Zack. We decided to meet at the little diner down the street from my house since it felt the most comfortable for me. The whole drive over there I keep telling myself that it was okay. We’re just friends, just two people meeting for breakfast.

When I park my car I can see Zack sitting at a booth already through the window. I didn’t notice before how handsome he really is. He has chestnut brown hair with a hint of a tan. Even though it’s October it looks like he spends hours outside during the summer. I also didn’t notice all the tattoos on his arms the last time I saw him. But I guess during my mental breakdown in the airport wasn’t exactly a time to check someone out. I mentally slap myself for thinking like that. Get it together Lilly. I can’t think of Zack in that way. We’re friends. I take a deep breath and get out of my car he sees me approach the diner and gives me a little wave. I give him a smile and make my way inside.

“Lilly.” He greets me with a hug.

“Hey,” I say into his chest, hugging him back.

“I ordered you a coffee.” He says when we sit down.

“Thanks.” I slip off my jacket and add an ungodly amount of creamer and sugar to my coffee.

“Jesus woman.” Zack laughs.

“Don’t judge me.” I roll my eyes, smiling. Ezra used to tease me for how sweet I liked my coffee.

“I never judge until I try something for myself.” He laughs. My smile fades. Ezra.

“Ezra used to say that,” I say.

“It’s a good thing to live by.” He smiles.

“Yeah, it is.” I bring the cup to my lips. My eye catches his movement. He’s adding the same amount of creamer and sugar as I did.

“Might as well give it a try.” He winks, taking a sip.

“What do you think?”

“Disgusting. How can you drink that?” He makes a face.

“Because I like to enjoy my morning coffee.” I laugh.

“So, what are your plans for the weekend?”

“Probably just stay home.” I shrug.

“How was your first night without Rose?”

“It was, quiet. But good. I think.”

“Sometimes the quiet is good.” He says without looking up from his menu.

“Yeah, sometimes,” I whisper. Honestly, it was hard. I’ve never slept a night alone in that house since we moved in.

“Maybe you should get a cat or something.” He suggests, and I laugh.

“I’ve thought about it.” I bite my lip.

“You should. They are a lot easier than a dog. You can leave them alone for days and they don’t care.

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