Chapter 38

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

The night air is crisp,filled with the scent of salt from the ocean and the earthy aroma of the beachside fire. It's late. I should probably be sleeping, but I think I'll have a hard time falling asleep tonight.

Gigi's already back from the hospital. She's sitting across from me. Her leg stretched out and propped up on a second chair. Her ankle is not broken, just badly sprained, and she's convinced it'll be back to normal in no time (thanks to a magical potion or two).

The flames dance and crackle, casting a warm glow that seems to push back the darkness and the chill. It"s a perfect Mystic Hollow night, and yet, as I sit across from Gigi, the remnants of the party at Morgan"s still clinging to me like a second skin, I can"t quite shake off a nagging sense of introspection.

Gigi, with that knowing twinkle in her eye, breaks the comfortable silence. "Back here already? I thought you might"ve fancied a nightcap at Morgan"s," she says, her voice light but loaded with implication.

I laugh, a little too quickly, a little too sharply. "Oh, no, nothing like that," I insist, wrapping my arms around my knees. "We"re just friends, Gigi. Really."

She doesn"t buy it, of course. Gigi has this uncanny ability to see right through people, to the heart of what they"re feeling even when they"re doing their best to hide it. "Claire, dear, you can deny it all you want, but there"s something there. Anyone with eyes can see it."

I bite my lip, the warmth from the fire doing nothing to ease the sudden chill of doubt. "I don"t know, Gigi. It"s all so soon. I mean, after Tomas and everything that happened in LA, can I really jump into something new? Can I trust... this?"

Gigi leans forward, her gaze soft yet unwavering. "Sometimes, Claire, you"ve got to go with what feels right. And from what I"ve seen, you and Morgan... there"s a spark there. Something special."

I scoff, more out of a reflex to protect my bruised heart than disbelief. "Falling for Morgan? Gigi, that"s... I don"t know if I"m ready for that."

But Gigi just smiles, a smile that"s seen love in its many forms and recognizes it even when it"s in its most fledgling state. "It"s like how my late husband used to look at me," she says softly, the memory bittersweet. "That kind of love, Claire, it doesn"t come around every day."

Her words linger in the air, mixing with the smoke and the sea breeze, and for a moment, I allow myself the luxury of "what if." What if Morgan is more than just a rebound or a distraction? What if what Gigi sees is real? The thought is terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure.

As the fire burns down to embers and the night deepens, I find myself at a crossroads. The safety of the familiar, of guarding my heart against further hurt, or the risk of embracing something new, something that could be wonderful or could leave me shattered. Gigi"s words echo in my mind, a gentle nudge towards the unknown, towards possibility.

And as I look out at the dark expanse of the ocean, listening to its timeless rhythm, I realize that maybe, just maybe, it"s time to stop running from the past and start chasing the future.