LAUREN'S POV

And just like always, the meal tasted amazing. Tessa had this uncanny way of making food that somehow felt like more than just food, it was like she seasoned it with comfort itself. Even in the worst moments of my life, she knew how to put something in front of me that lifted my spirits.

“How was it?” she asked, her eyes bright with that familiar curiosity, leaning forward as though the answer would decide her whole morning.

I gave her a slow, amused look, the kind that ...