Cassidy drove to the hospital with one hand lightly tapping the steering wheel, the other resting near the gearshift. Her chest felt lighter now. The eting with Zeke had gone far better than she expected. It didn’t feel like a battle this ti. Just a conversation. Calm. Gentle. Natural in a way that caught her off guard.
He seed softer. Less guarded. His words felt warr sohow, not like the distant ones she used to hear. Maybe the past four years hadn’t just shaped her. Maybe they had shaped him too.
Cassidy felt a quiet warmth bloom in her chest at the thought. She was glad. Truly glad for the man he was becoming.
But one thing still weighed on her. Claire.
He deserved to know. And before she told him, she needed to talk to Claire first.
She pulled into the hospital parking lot, locked the car, and made her way through the private VIP wing. The scent of antiseptic was sharp in the air. The lighting overhead was bright and clinical, and the corridor around her was lined with the familiar silence of hospitals.
As she turned a corner, a familiar voice called out.
"Cassidy?"
She stopped and turned.
A tall, handso man in a white coat approached with a gentle smile. He looked almost exactly as she rembered just a little older, a little more polished.
"Tyler Pierce?" she said, blinking.
Tyler grinned. "Knew it was you. I saw you here last week, but by the ti I got close, you were already gone."
Cassidy returned the smile. "So, you’re a doctor now?"
He let out a small laugh and gestured to his white coat. "As you can see."
Cassidy tilted her head. "I thought you were going to be a professional quarterback. I kept waiting to see your na on TV."
Tyler shrugged with a sheepish grin. "Tore my ACL in college. After that, I changed majors. dicine sort of ran in the family anyway."
Cassidy gave him a look of amused sympathy. "Well, I’ll admit it. The white coat suits you."
Tyler raised an eyebrow with a teasing smile. "I know. Everything suits ."
She laughed. "Still as full of yourself as ever."
He stepped closer, eyes playful. "Didn’t you used to like that about back in high school?"
Cassidy rolled her eyes. "It’s also why I broke up with you."
Tyler clutched his chest dramatically. "Ouch. Low blow, Cass."
She smiled, shaking her head. "Still as dramatic."
"Still as sharp," he replied with a grin. "That’s what I always liked about you."
They stood there for a mont, the air between them laced with old familiarity. It felt like stepping into an old mory, one that hadn’t been touched in years.
"You look good, Cass," Tyler said more softly. "Not just the way you look. You seem... happier."
She gave him a quiet smile. "I guess I’ve learned to enjoy the little things."
He glanced at her, more thoughtful now. "Good. You deserve that kind of happiness in your life."
Tyler’s words pulled at sothing buried, sothing she hadn’t thought about in years.
Back in high school, life hadn’t been as picture perfect as everyone assud. She was the rich girl, the smart one, the one with straight A’s and a future everyone liked to comnt on. But behind the good grades and tidy uniforms, Cassidy had been painfully lonely.
People admired her from afar, but few ever dared to get close. The pressure to et her family’s expectations was suffocating. And when you were already being watched like a trophy, the last thing anyone wanted was to be seen standing too close.
She had spent so many lunches alone. So many weekends pretending to be busy. The version of her people saw was perfect and untouchable. Just like her last na demanded.
But that was a long ti ago.
She blinked the thought away and looked at Tyler, a soft smile tugging at her lips.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I’m good."
And this ti, she truly was.
After a short pause, Tyler tilted his head toward the hallway. "You have a few minutes? Coffee in the doctor’s lounge? The machine is still terrible, but I swear we’ve upgraded the crear."
Cassidy gave a small laugh. "You really haven’t found a better line in all these years?"
He laughed. "Worked on you once."
She considered it for a second, then nodded. "Alright. I have a few minutes before I see my mom."
They walked together down the hall. There was sothing easy about the way they fell into step. Comfortable. Familiar.
Inside the lounge, Cassidy sat in one of the cushioned chairs while Tyler moved to the coffee machine. The soft clatter of buttons and brewing filled the quiet space between them.
"You know," he said, handing her a cup, "I still think about our chemistry lab days sotis."
She raised a brow. "Because I saved your grade?"
"Because you saved my pride," he replied with a grin. "I rember you labeling the beakers because you didn’t trust not to ss them up."
"You ssed them up," she said, sipping her drink.
"And yet, we still ended up dating."
Tyler chuckled, then leaned back in his chair. His voice was a little more thoughtful. "Honestly, you made want to be better, back then. Just thought you should know that."
Cassidy blinked, not expecting the sincerity. Her smile softened. "Thank you, Tyler."
Tyler had always been the kind of guy who could make a room feel lighter just by walking in. Friendly, effortlessly charming, and never taking himself too seriously. Back in high school, his easy humor and laid-back confidence had been the complete opposite of Cassidy’s quiet, closed-off world.
But Tyler never seed intimidated.
When they got paired up in chemistry class, sothing shifted. Tyler made her laugh. Really laugh for the first ti in what felt like years. He poked fun at her seriousness, teased her into relaxing, and never once treated her like she was fragile or too intense. And in return, Cassidy found herself opening up. Bit by bit, she started to let go. To be herself.
Sowhere between awkward lab experints and late night study sessions, friendship had quietly turned into sothing more. And for a while, it worked. They balanced each other. She kept him grounded, and he reminded her how to breathe.
But as the months went by, they both started to realize sothing, they were better as friends. The spark that brought them together was real, but it wasn’t ant to last forever. And instead of dragging things out or turning bitter, they made the decision together. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t ssy.
They simply let each other go.
Tyler looked at her again. "So, how’ve you been?"
Cassidy gestured lightly. "I’m good. Life hasn’t knocked out yet."
"Unlike ," Tyler sighed. "One more night shift and I’ll collapse in the hallway."
She laughed. "You used to survive football, howork, and parties back to back."
He smirked. "Yeah, well, saving lives is a little more intense than catching footballs."
"But your ego hasn’t changed."
Tyler grinned. "So things never do."
He looked at her for a mont. Then he asked, "So... married?"
Cassidy hesitated, then said, "I was. You?"
He shook his head. "Still single. My schedule doesn’t exactly scream romance."
She raised an eyebrow. "I’m sure half the nurses here are in love with you."
"Oh, they’ve tried," he said, laughing.
"And?"
"I’m picky."
Cassidy chuckled. "That also hasn’t changed."
They smiled at each other, the mont stretching just enough to stir sothing familiar. Not longing, not regret just a shared history that hadn’t fully faded.
***
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