CHAPTER 135: A START

Rayna arrived at the quiet rooftop bar ten minutes past the agreed time, her heart beating just a little faster than usual. The sun was already low in the sky, casting a warm golden hue over the city.

Her eyes scanned the small crowd, and then she saw him—Ethan, sitting by the glass railing, staring out into the skyline with his hands folded on the table.

He looked like he hadn’t moved in a while and she couldn’t help but wonder how long he’d been sitting there, waiting. Perhaps, he’d arrived earlier than the agreed time.

She approached slowly, careful not to let her thoughts overwhelm her. But that was hard, considering the wave of emotions still rolling inside her chest.

When she reached the table, Ethan looked up immediately. There was a flicker of relief in his eyes, and he stood halfway before sitting back down.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey," she replied, pulling out the chair across from him and sitting down.

A brief silence settled between them, heavy and awkward.

"What would you like to drink?" Ethan asked after a beat, trying to break the tension.

She glanced at the menu briefly. "I’ll just take a mojito," she said.

He nodded and waved over the waiter, placing both their orders. Then silence again. Neither of them knew what to say or where to start.

Their drinks arrived quicker than expected, clinking softly as the waiter set them down and walked away.

They both reached for their glasses, but before either could take a sip, they spoke at the same time.

"I’m—"

"Why?"

They both paused and then while Rayna took a sip, Ethan set his glass down slowly.

"Go ahead," he said.

Rayna looked at him, her eyes steady. "Why did you betray me like that? Did you ever mean anything you said about wanting to know me? About finding me interesting? Or was all that just a way to find out where I lived so you can get to Ruby? Did you approach me because of her?"

Though she knew Stefan had already explained the whole thing to her, she just couldn’t help it. No matter how logical she tried to be and tell herself that there was no way he would’ve known Ruby was in Florittle the day she gave him her contact because Ruby had just arrived at the airport then, she just couldn’t help but ask those questions.

Ethan winced at the directness of her question, but he didn’t look away. "Rayna, I never lied about liking you. I meant every word. If anything, I’ve liked you since that day six months ago—the night we met. I’m sure you know that. At least, that should tell you I liked you even before all this craziness that followed here in Florittle."

He took a deep breath and continued. "I was so happy I bumped into you at the grocery shop a week ago but then it turns out you were Stefan’s lover’s friend. I didn’t know until Stefan showed me your profile from that time I helped you sort out the lawsuit. Even then, I was still in doubt until I saw you in that dress...."

"And then you immediately knew who I was to Ruby. So why didn’t you tell me first before you brought Stefan to my house? Just the next day after I showed you where I lived? Why didn’t you tell me when you got your confirmation that I was Ruby’s friend?"

Ethan sighed, rubbing his hands together. "At first, I thought I’d tell you. Honestly, I wanted to. I even planned to ask you to help Stefan set up a meeting. But he was desperate. He’d left everything—his company, his life in Zeden—to come find Ruby after finding out she got on a plane to Florittle. Do you think he would have waited for me to pave the way? He couldn’t. He was too anxious. And I just... I just tried to help. I thought I was doing the right thing and I’m sorry I hurt you in the process."

Rayna listened carefully, her expression unreadable.

"I’m not making excuses," Ethan added quickly. "I’m taking responsibility for hurting you. For breaking your trust. I’m sorry, Rayna."

She looked at him for a long while, her fingers curling lightly around her drink as she took a sip and dropped the glass.

The truth was, she did understand. If the tables were turned, maybe she would’ve done the same. She would’ve wanted to help Ruby if she were in Ethan’s shoes. Still, the pain of it all lingered.

"Then why did it take you this long to apologize?" she asked quietly. "Why now? After Stefan already explained things?"

Ethan met her eyes. "Because I wanted you to understand everything first. I didn’t want to come to you and make it sound like an excuse. I wanted the truth to come out from someone other than me. Maybe from Stefan while trying to get Ruby back or maybe through Ruby after Stefan tells her the whole truth."

Rayna gave a soft snort, almost a bitter laugh. "And you don’t think that was my decision to make? Whether I think it’s an excuse or not?"

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Ethan lowered his gaze. "Yes. It is. And I see now that waiting was the wrong call. I should’ve come to you sooner. I messed up. I’m sorry for not telling you about Stefan that day. I’m sorry for bringing him to your house without warning you. And I’m sorry for not trying harder to explain."

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Rayna nodded slowly, her gaze still fixed on him. Her heart felt a little less heavy now, but there was still a bruise there. A tender ache that wouldn’t disappear overnight.

"It’s fine," she said at last. "I understand now. I just needed to be sure your were nothing like my ex."

Ethan leaned back in his chair, relief washing over his features. Though he wanted to ask her about her ex, he knew now wasn’t the time for any of that.

"So... does that mean we’re back to being friends?" he asked, hope flickering in his voice.

Rayna hesitated. Then she smiled faintly. "Yeah. We are."

He grinned, the first real smile she’d seen from him in a while. "Thank you."

And in that moment, under the soft golden light of the setting sun, with the city buzzing quietly beneath them, Rayna felt a little bit of peace.

Maybe things weren’t perfect. Maybe they never would be.

But this? This was a start.