Chapter 177

• I had not seen Celia in almost four years. The last time we spoke, it had been over a quick coffee before I left the city, back when my name was still circulating in places I no longer wanted to be. We had promised to keep in touch, but promises like that often lose their shape once life begins to pull you in different directions.
• She had sent a short message a week ago. Heard you are back in the city for good. Dinner? My treat. It made me smile because she had always been the kind of friend who thought a simple meal could stitch time back together.
• The restaurant was small, tucked into a side street with a single gold sign above the door. I arrived early and chose a table near the window. The air smelled faintly of roasted garlic and lemon. Outside, the streetlight cast a soft circle on the pavement.