“Isn’t it funny,” Emma said, laughing as she popped another fry into her mouth, “that every time we order those chocolates, they’re always out of stock?”

Sarah managed a faint smile. “I guess,” she murmured, her mind drifting elsewhere , somewhere darker. Somewhere named Ethan.

They sat at a small red café table littered with hamburgers, chips, and half-finished smoothies. A large bottle of Coca-Cola sat between them, sweating under the café’s soft lighting. The place had a cosy retro vibe, dim disco lights on the walls and slow pop music playing in the background.

“So,” Emma said, chewing noisily. “How are you holding up?”

Sarah’s eyes followed the light drizzle slipping down the windowpane. “Not great,” she admitted. “I’ve been trying to forget him but it just keeps getting worse.”

Emma sighed, wiping her hands on a napkin. “At least you’re trying. No more stalking, I hope?”

Sarah gave a guilty shrug and nodded slowly.

“Baby steps, then.” Emma pulled a funny face. “One day at a time, innit?”

Emma Hayes had been Sarah’s best friend for over ten years . Blunt, effortlessly pretty, and shamelessly witty. She wielded her charm like a weapon, getting whatever she wanted with a toss of her hair and a wicked smirk. In all those years, Sarah had never seen her truly heartbroken. Detached from everything serious. School, men, emotions . Emma always came out on top, unbothered.

Sarah envied that sometimes. How ironic that the one who cared the most always ended up the most wounded. Maybe I should stop caring too, she thought. Be like Emma. Lighthearted. Free. But they were wired differently. And maybe everyone needed a crazy best friend like Emma just to keep from losing their mind.

“Ugh, I miss making love,” Emma groaned, pouring herself a glass of Coke. “Coming home to strong arms, warm lips, hot skin… Now no one even looks at me properly. They're all ‘busy with work’,” she said, using air quotes.

Sarah laughed , not just because it was funny, but because Emma’s drama was oddly comforting.

“Maybe it’s a sign you should get busy with your life,” Sarah teased.

“But I am,” Emma said defensively.

“With what, exactly?” Sarah raised an eyebrow.

Emma rolled her eyes and shifted the subject like she always did. “So... Queen Mary’s. Ready for the big comeback?”

Sarah exhaled. “I guess.” But even as she spoke, her thoughts slipped back to Ethan , to his smile, his lies, and the ache he left behind.

She signaled to the waiter, a young, handsome man with a neatly tied ponytail.

"Can we get more fries?" she asked.

"Anything for a pretty lady like you," he replied with a wink.

Sarah and Emma exchanged a small laugh.

"See? There are other men ready to go to war for you," Emma grinned.

Sarah pulled a face. "Emma, please. Men will always be men."

"No. Ethan’s just the only one you’ve been with. You should give someone else a try."

Sarah let out a low breath. "But it’s really hard to forget him." She looked at Emma, her eyes suddenly heavy. "I keep wondering what I did wrong. Was he tired of me? Did he ever love me? Maybe… maybe I was terrible in bed."

"Sarah, stop it." Emma’s voice softened. She leaned across the table and placed a hand over hers. "Don’t ever blame yourself for a man’s choices, okay?" Her eyes were wide and sincere.

Sarah blinked, grateful. "You're wonderful, Emma. You know that? I couldn’t have asked for a better best friend."

Emma faked a fan motion with her hand. "Okay, stop making me blush, please."

Sarah smiled truly, for the first time that day.

Then her thoughts drifted again.

"How could you tell?" she asked quietly.

"Tell what?" Emma looked up from her phone.

"When they don’t love you anymore."

Emma rolled her eyes. "God, Sarah. Are we still on this?"

"Ethan used to be so funny," Sarah began, her voice barely above a whisper. "He’d make me laugh all day, fight anyone who got in my way. He used to send me sweet messages constantly. He wouldn’t let go of me. Always sniffing me, kissing me… like he wanted to crawl into my soul."

The young waiter returned, setting down a bowl of hot, steaming fries with ketchup on the side. He gave Sarah another charming smile before walking away.

She smiled faintly back.

"Then one day, it all changed. No sweet messages. No calls. Dates got cancelled. The kisses faded." She paused, her voice trembling. "I used to think we’d get married." A small, bitter laugh escaped her lips. "But look at me now."

She stared at the fries, blinking back tears. "But you know what?" she added, straightening a little. "Maybe I should be grateful. Because now… I’m smarter. If I ever fall in love again , if God forbid I see those changes I’ll know. I’ll know exactly what to do."

Emma wiggled in her seat and smiled sadly at Sarah.

"Well..." she trailed off before bursting into a laugh, cheeks tinged with pink. "There was this guy I had a huge crush on when I was seventeen. God, he was gorgeous and he actually liked me back. We started dating..."

Sarah leaned forward. "Wait—was it Kenny?"

Emma snorted. "Nah, not him. I mean, yeah, Kenny and I had a thing , but he couldn’t handle the attention I got from other guys. He was always insecure." She paused, the smile fading slightly. "His name was Henry. And when I say we were in love, I mean, deep. We texted all day, stayed on calls till we slept off. He made me feel like the world stopped when he looked at me."

Emma sighed, her fingers tracing the rim of her glass.

"Long story short I found out he was engaged. And the wedding was the following month."

Sarah's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yup. I was shattered," Emma continued. "He made me feel like I was everything, and then boom he was someone else's groom. I ended things that night. No screaming, no begging. Just blocked his number and cried myself to sleep for weeks. We never saw each other again."

Her voice steadied, but Sarah noticed the lingering sadness in her friend's eyes.

"So yeah," Emma added gently. "You’ll get over Ethan. Might take time, but you will. I didn’t think I could survive Henry, but look at me now."

Sarah blinked, unsure of what to say. A wave of guilt and tenderness rolled over her. She’d always seen Emma as carefree and untouched by pain but clearly, she'd just hidden it well.

"I'm so sorry," Sarah said softly. "I didn’t know you'd been through something like that."

Emma smiled, a little wry this time. "It’s fine. I guess some of us are just really good at hiding our emotions."

"But why didn’t you ever tell me?"

Emma shrugged. "Maybe I was embarrassed. Or maybe because you had your own issues. Your dad… It didn’t feel like the right time."

She stopped short, as if catching herself from saying too much.

Sarah nodded quietly. Her thoughts drifted to her mom. She needed to go see her before resuming school, even if it meant risking an awkward run-in with Meemaw. God, she hoped Meemaw wouldn’t be around that day. She didn’t need the passive-aggressive comments or those judgmental looks. Her gaze dropped to the empty bowl in front of her.

"Did I really eat a whole bowl of fries? That’s so bad."

Emma smirked, reaching for the last drop of Coke. "At least it wasn’t alcohol."

They both burst into quiet laughter. In that moment, the weight didn’t feel as heavy.

They stepped out of the café into the pale winter sunshine of Xuli High Street. The cold air was crisp, but the low sun gave the street a soft golden hue. Emma pointed ahead, her voice breaking the quiet.

"I remember that flower shop," she said, nodding toward a small restaurant nearby.

"Oh yes," Sarah replied. "What was it called again? I think it’s been refurbished recently."

“Florentry,” Emma answered, a smile tugging at her lips.

The name staggered Sarah, memories flooding back unbidden. "Ethan is such a bastard," she blurted out, her voice sharper than she intended.

Emma turned, surprise flickering across her face. "Sarah, what the hell!" Both of them burst into nervous laughter, the tension breaking for a moment.

They continued walking down the street, the crunch of their footsteps echoing softly.

"Maybe we should have called an Uber," Emma muttered, a hint of regret in her voice.

Sarah shook her head with a playful grin. "Isn’t it fun like this? I mean, we get to burn off all that junk in our tummies." She broke into a little dance, spinning with laughter.

Suddenly, a car horn blared behind them, followed by the smooth sound of an engine overtaking them slowly. The sleek Aston Martin pulled up beside them, its polished body gleaming in the weak sunlight.

Sarah’s stomach dropped. It was him. What was he doing here again?

"What the fuck?" Emma whispered quietly. Surely, he hadn’t been watching them.

The driver’s side window rolled down, revealing Ethan’s face behind large dark sunglasses.

"Hi ladies," he said, flashing a smile. "It’s too hot out here, unless you don’t mind getting tanned." He laughed lightly.

Sarah sneered, her hatred bubbling beneath the surface.

"No thanks," Emma shot back. "Actually, we’re trying to lose some weight."

Their footsteps quickened, but the car kept pace, inching forward slowly alongside them.

"But you both look good," Ethan said smoothly, his eyes locked on them. "Well, except for someone who’s trying to get a new body for me."

"What do you want, Ethan?" Sarah interrupted angrily, stopping in her tracks. "We’re fine. Can’t you see?"

Ethan smirked, his tone dripping with false concern.

"Well, you guys look flustered, walking around London like this. I’d be careful if I were you, it’s not safe for you ladies."

"Good thing you’re not us," Emma replied sharply. She grabbed Sarah’s hand firmly and pulled her forward, their pace now brisk, desperate to leave him behind.

Ethan called after them, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

"Your lovely Meemaw told me you’ve enrolled at Queen Mary, so I might be seeing you often."

Sarah froze, astonished. That woman. Meemaw knew they were no longer together, so why was she still sharing personal information with him? The betrayal stung sharper than she expected. "Fuck you," Sarah barked, her voice low but filled with venom.

Ethan laughed hysterically, the sound echoing in the cold air.

"Does this mean we can do it one more time?"

Sarah’s heart hammered painfully in her chest as they finally turned the corner, leaving Ethan’s car and his mocking words behind. But his presence lingered like a dark cloud over the bright winter afternoon.

Emma whispered fiercely, “Ignore him. He’s not worth it.”

Sarah wanted to believe her, but inside, a storm was raging. How had it come to this? How had someone she once loved become this source of pain?

She tightened her grip on Emma’s hand, drawing strength from her friend. No more running. No more hiding. Whatever came next, she would face it head-on.

As the crowd swallowed them up, the cold winter wind whipped around her, but Sarah felt something warmer growing inside, a fierce determination to reclaim herself from the past.