Aria stood by the kitchen sink, slowly rinsing the coffee cup Eli had used that morning. The window above it was slightly open, letting in a breeze that carried the scent of the wet grass outside. It had rained early at dawn, and the world felt quieter somehow like it was holding its breath.
She checked the clock: 10:04 AM.
He hadn't texted yet.
She didn't want to admit that she was waiting for it. For him.
Eli was in the living room, humming while building something with his blocks. She loved that about him—how content he could be in his little world, how focused he got when arranging things in a certain order like it gave him a sense of calm she never quite understood.
The doorbell rang.
She froze, fingers still under the running tap. Then she shut off the water, dried her hands, and made her way to the door, her heart tapping lightly in her chest.
Eli beat her to it.
"Daddy!"
Aria exhaled, smiled faintly, and followed.
Elias crouched down, arms open wide. "Hey, champ!"
Eli threw himself into his arms, giggling. "You're late."
"I am," Elias said, his tone dramatic. "And I have a very good reason."
"What?"
He reached into the paper bag in his other hand and pulled out a small chocolate muffin with rainbow sprinkles. "This took extra time to convince the baker."
Eli gasped. "It has sprinkles!"
"Exactly. High-stakes negotiation."
Aria stood in the doorway, arms crossed, a bemused look on her face. "You bribed a five-year-old with sugar. Impressive parenting."
Elias stood, his eyes lingering on hers a beat longer than necessary. "Morning."
"Morning."
"I brought coffee, too." He held out a second cup.
She took it, still guarded. "Thanks."
He looked down at Eli. "So, muffin and then we head to the library? You still want that dinosaur book?"
Eli nodded, already taking a bite of the muffin. "Yes! And the tiger one. And the crocodile one!"
"Right. All the ferocious creatures."
Aria turned away, but not before Elias saw her slight smile.
The library was a small one, tucked just two blocks away. Quiet, almost always empty on weekends. The walk was short but pleasant, with Eli insisting on holding both their hands as they strolled under the slowly drying trees.
"Why do worms come out when it rains?" Eli asked, looking at the sidewalk.
"So they don't drown in the soil," Elias answered quickly.
"That's gross," Eli said, making a face.
Aria chuckled. "Nature isn't always cute."
"You were always the one with the gross facts," Elias said, glancing at her.
She didn't reply. Just kept walking, eyes ahead.
They reached the library and headed to the children's section, where Eli immediately began pulling books from shelves with animated excitement.
Aria and Elias sat on the small bench nearby.
"He's really into animals lately," Elias observed.
"He goes through phases," she replied. "Last month it was trucks. Before that, dinosaurs. Again."
Elias chuckled softly. "He's got a curious brain. I love that."
A beat passed before Aria asked, "Do you come here often? I mean… on your own?"
He shook his head. "Not really. Feels different without him."
Aria looked at him, something soft in her eyes. "He makes everything feel different."
He nodded. "Yeah. He does."
They sat there for a while, quietly watching Eli flip through pages, pointing at pictures, sometimes muttering little facts he remembered.
"He reminds me of you," Elias said suddenly.
Aria looked at him, surprised.
"In the way he overthinks things. He's got your focus. Your habit of scrunching your nose when you're reading something interesting."
She looked down at her hands. "He also has your stubbornness."
"That's fair," he said with a crooked smile.
Later, they walked back home, arms full of borrowed books. Eli chatted excitedly about which ones he'd read first and how he wanted to pretend to be a tiger for the rest of the day.
"You're going to have to crawl around a lot," Elias teased.
"I'm strong," Eli said confidently. "Tigers don't get tired."
"We'll see about that," Aria added.
When they got home, Eli ran inside ahead of them. Aria lingered on the porch.
Elias stayed too.
She turned slightly. "You don't have to stay for lunch."
"I know."
He hesitated, then added, "But I'd like to."
She didn't answer right away. Then finally said, "Alright. But you're setting the table."
He grinned. "Done."
They sat at the table, eating quietly at first. Eli filled the space with chatter about the books, the tiger he was pretending to be, and what he'd name a real one if he had it as a pet.
"Stripey?" Elias guessed.
Eli frowned. "No. That's too obvious. I'd call him 'Thunder'."
"Thunder the tiger," Aria repeated. "Nice."
Elias smiled across the table. "He's got a sense of drama."
"He gets it from you."
There was a quiet laugh shared between them. Just a moment. But it was there.
After lunch, Eli took his books to the couch and began building his "jungle fort."
Aria walked Elias to the door.
He paused before stepping out.
"Can I ask you something?" he said.
"You're going to ask even if I say no."
He smiled. "True."
She waited.
"I know it's slow. And I'm not asking for answers. But… do you feel anything changing?"
Her face didn't give much away. But she didn't look angry. She didn't look distant either.
"I think you're trying. And I see that. But I'm not ready to answer that question yet."
He nodded. "I can wait."
There was something sincere in the way he said it. Not just patience, but a kind of hope that didn't push.
"Good," she said, softly.
He stepped outside but turned again. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
She hesitated. Then: "Yeah. Same time."
He smiled. "Bring the sprinkles again?"
"I'll consider it."
He laughed. "That's a maybe. I'll take it."
And he walked away.
Inside, Aria closed the door gently, leaning against it for a moment.
"Mom?" Eli called from the living room.
She exhaled, pulled herself together, and smiled.
"I'm coming, Thunder's mom is reporting for duty."