The familiar hum of the coffee machines, the warm clatter of cups, and the comforting scent of roasted beans wrapped around Katherine like a soft, worn blanket. She leaned lightly against the counter, pretending that today was just another ordinary day, pretending that the world hadn't tilted a little off-balance ever since she had seen Miranda again.
"I have to keep moving," Katherine told herself, wiping the counter with slow, steady strokes. "Miranda doesn't deserve to live rent-free in my mind anymore."
With a deep breath, she straightened, smoothing out the front of her apron and forcing a polite smile onto her lips. Customers bustled in and out, the steady rhythm of orders and conversations filling the café with its usual cozy chaos. Yet beneath Katherine's calm exterior, a quiet ache thrummed in her chest—an ache she was determined to ignore.
