And she was the woman I loved.
The Question I Never Expected
That evening, after we closed the bookstore, Karen and I walked to the overlook where we had spent that first rainy night.
The city stretched beneath us, bright and alive.
She slipped her hand into mine.
“Alex, can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Do you ever regret coming to get me that night?”
I turned toward her.
“Not for a second.”
“Even knowing what it would cost you?”
I thought about the months of silence between Daniel and me, the difficult conversations, the uncertainty, and the fear that our relationship might destroy a friendship I had treasured for a decade.
Then I looked at Karen.
“I regret the times I was afraid to be honest. I regret not telling Daniel sooner. And I regret how much pain all of this caused.”
I squeezed her hand.
“But I don’t regret meeting you in that diner. I don’t regret watching you build this bookstore. And I don’t regret choosing a relationship with you when we were both ready to make that choice.”
