The air in the car still smelled like strawberry and rain when Neil dropped me off just a few steps from the porch . I laughed - one of those soft , helpless ones - my hand still pressed over my mouth as I tried to compose myself . " That waiter , " I said , shaking my head , " he really thought we were a married couple ? " Neil smirked , resting one hand on the steering wheel . " Maybe it's because you kept feeding me from your fork . " I shot him a playful glare . " You asked for a bite . " " You gave me five . " We both laughed again . The kind of laughter that loosened something clenched inside my chest , a tension I hadn't realized I carried since the day I moved back into that cursed house . He looked at me with those eyes - gentle , patient , and something else unspoken . The kind that didn't ask for explanations but gave space for them anyway. The porch light flicked on . I froze . Neil's gaze didn't waver . " You okay ? " I nodded , slower this time . " Yeah , I just - thank you , for tonight . " He stepped out of the car with me , walking me to the doorstep like some scene from a romantic drama I never got to live . The night was cool , quiet . Fireflies flickered near the hedges , and the smell of soil and wet concrete lingered in the air . " I had fun ," he said . " I like seeing you laugh ." My heart stuttered . " I don't do that often enough lately . " " Maybe you should , " he whispered . And then he leaned in - hesitant but certain , a breath away from my lips . I didn't move . I didn't flinch . For once , I wasn't thinking about Zach . Or Celine . Or the mess inside that house . For once , I was just a woman being looked at like she was whole again . Until the front door creaked open . " Wow , " Zach said , voice sharp and flat . " So this is what it takes to make you come home late . " Neil stepped back , unbothered , but I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks . Zach stood there in the doorway , eyes glinting with quiet rage , fists clenched at his sides . I swallowed . " It was just dinner ." " Oh , yeah ? " he shot back . " Is that what they're calling it now ? Dinner ? You let him put his hands all over you for dessert? " " Zach ," I warned , keeping my voice even , " don't you dare . " His eyes blazed . " You have a kid inside this house and you're out flirting like you're nineteen . What the hell is wrong with you ? " That was it . " You don't get to say that to me ," I snapped . " You don't get to be jealous ." " I'm not jealous . " I stepped forward . " Then why are you shaking like that ? Why are you standing there like you're about to throw a punch at a man who's only ever been kind to me ? " " Because you're still my- " He stopped himself . I waited . " Still your what? " He exhaled through his nose . " It doesn't matter . " " No , Zach . Say it . You still think you own me ? After everything ? " Celine appeared in the doorway then , a silk robe barely covering her legs and her lip gloss shining even in the porchlight . " Babe , what's taking you so - oh ." Her eyes darted between me and Neil , reading the space between us like a tabloid headline . I turned to Neil and touched his wrist . " Thank you for tonight . I'll call you . " Neil nodded , then glanced at Zach with a calm sort of pity . " You have no idea what you've lost , buddy . " Then he turned to go . I walked inside without another word . Zach didn't move . Neither did Celine . She just smirked and followed him in like a shadow made of perfume and spite . Zach didn't sleep that night . He tried . God , he tried . But every time he closed his eyes , he saw Arianne's laugh . The one that used to belong to him . He remembered the way she looked at Neil - not guarded , not wary - but open . Whole . The version of her he hadn't seen since they buried what was left of their marriage under court papers and child custody . Celine curled up beside him in bed , one leg draped over his hip like a chain . She whispered sweet nothings , trailing fingers across his chest . He didn't respond . At one point , she propped herself up on one elbow and asked , " Do you think she slept with him ? " He didn't answer . " I mean , she looked so ... flushed . " He turned his head , locking eyes with her . " Get out . " Celine blinked . " Excuse me ? " " Out . Now . Go sleep in the guest room . " Her face hardened , hurt replaced by venom . " Because she batted her lashes at some overgrown boy scout ? That's all it takes to forget who's been here , keeping you warm ? " Zach sat up , voice low and dangerous . " I said get out . " She stared at him for a beat longer . Then , without a word , she gathered her robe and stomped out , slamming the door behind her . Downstairs , Arianne stood in the kitchen , hands wrapped around a mug of untouched tea . She didn't flinch at the slam . She just stared out the window , where the porch still held traces of Neil's cologne and Zach's fury . But she didn't regret the date . She didn't regret the almost - kiss . Because for the first time in years , she felt something real again - something that wasn't shame , bitterness , or heartbreak . And upstairs , Zach lay awake , hating every second of the silence he carved with his own choices . Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!