Chapter 2: The Note
Ava sat frozen for a full minute after the waitress walked away.
The check was still on the table.
Untouched.
Unnecessary.
She grabbed her bag and walked out into the cold air.
Jason was standing near the curb, jacket on, hands in his pockets, staring at the street.
"Jason—"
He turned.
His face wasn't angry.
That was almost worse.
"I just wanted one honest evening," he said quietly.
"That's all."
"I didn't know—"
"I know you didn't." He looked back at the restaurant.
"I never tell anyone.
I wanted to see if it mattered."
Ava felt the ground shift under her.
"So this was a test?"
"No." He shook his head slowly.
"It was a date.
You're the one who made it a test."
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
A man in a chef's apron stepped out from a side door, nodded at Jason, and handed him a folded note.
Jason read it, then looked up at Ava with an expression she couldn't quite read.
"There's something you should probably know about tonight," he said.
"Before you decide how you feel about any of this."
He held out the note.
Ava reached for it — and then his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and went completely still.
---
What was written in that note — and who just called?
May you like
What Ava finds out next changes everything.
Click the link below to read the full story.
