Peter exhaled slowly, as if choosing his next words carefully. "It's just...Eva's lifestyle isn't accepted by most people around here," he finally said. "If you spend time with her, it could damage your own reputation. I'm just trying to give you fair warning as a newcomer," he continued. "This is a traditional town. It's best if you avoid ruffling feathers."

Claire shook her head, incensed by his arrogance. "I appreciate your concern," she said icily, "but I can decide for myself who to befriend. Eva has been nothing but kind to me since I moved here. I enjoy her company."

She fixed him with an unwavering stare. "And besides, a person's private life is their own business. It doesn't concern me."

Peter rubbed the back of his neck again, clearly irritated that Claire wasn't heeding his warning. "I'm just saying, you should steer clear of her if you know what's good for you," he insisted stubbornly.

Claire refused to back down. "Thank you for your input," she replied coolly, "but I don't require your guidance regarding my choice of friends. Good night, Peter." Having said her piece, Claire stepped forward and firmly closed the front door in Peter's still-sputtering face.

Leaning back against the solid wood, Claire slowly exhaled, trying to calm her anger. How dare he presume to dictate who she associated with? Or rather, anything about her life at all?

Taking a few more deep, grounding breaths, Claire felt her irritation start to subside slightly. But she remained resolute - no pompous, overbearing man was going to tell her who she could or couldn't befriend.

Claire made her way back to the couch, where Daisy was curled up napping. "I won't let anyone control me like that," she declared as she stroked the cat's soft fur. Daisy blinked up at her drowsily.

Picking her book back up, Claire tried to find where she'd left off on the page. But concentration eluded her as residual frustration lingered.

A minute later, the slamming of Peter's front door resonated from next door. Claire pictured him storming home in a huff, fuming that she had defied his arrogant directives about Eva.

"What a terrible human being," she muttered to Daisy with a sigh. The cat simply yawned, then rested her head contentedly on Claire's lap. Claire exhaled, feeling her pulse finally slow to normal. She wouldn't waste any more energy on Peter's pettiness tonight.

Chapter Eighteen

Late that night, Eva was curled up on the couch catching up on a TV drama when her phone suddenly lit up with a new text notification. She glanced over to see a message from Liz. Hey, sorry to bug you so late. Is it okay if I swing by? I just realized I left some sweaters at your place.

Eva felt an immediate knot form in her stomach. She hadn't spoken to Liz in weeks and had been doing her best to move on. The last thing she wanted was her ex showing up out of the blue. But she also knew refusing to return Liz's belongings would just lead to unnecessary conflict. With a reluctant sigh, Eva typed out a reply. I guess so. Just to grab the sweaters quickly.

She hit send before she could overthink it and change her mind. Part of her hoped Liz would forget or not even bother coming over this late. But just twenty minutes later, a knock at the front door dashed those hopes. Taking a deep, bracing breath, Eva steeled her nerves and went to open it. Time to get this encounter over with as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Eva swung open the front door to find Liz standing there, looking just as pretty as ever. Her dark hair fell in glossy waves over her shoulders and she wore a flattering lavender sweater. Eva had to ignore the way her heart clenched. At least Liz hadn't brought her new girlfriend over. That would have been more than Eva could bear.

"Hey! Thanks for letting me come grab these," Liz said breezily, as if just stopping by her ex's place late at night was perfectly normal.

Eva simply nodded, not trusting her voice to remain steady. She stepped aside silently to let Liz in.

"So how have you been?" Liz asked brightly while glancing around the apartment as if looking for changes since she left. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"I've been fine," Eva replied tightly, not wanting to make small talk with the woman who had cheated on her and broken her heart only a few months before. "The sweaters are in the bedroom. I put them in a box in the closet."

She led the way down the hall, Liz following casually as if she still belonged here. Being in close proximity again after all this time felt like sensory overload for Eva. She was hyper aware of Liz's perfume, and her warmth.

Liz quickly gathered up her forgotten sweaters from the closet shelf where Eva had boxed them up. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air between them.

"Well, I guess I'll get going and let you get back to your night..." Liz trailed off, turning toward Eva.

As Liz went to leave, she unexpectedly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Eva in a brief hug.

Eva's body went rigid, completely caught off guard. Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "Don't do that. Please."

Liz quickly released her, taking a step back. For a brief moment, Eva thought she saw a flash of sadness in her eyes. But then Liz's expression clouded over. "Fine, my bad," she said shortly, her tone now icy. "I didn't realize a simple hug would be so offensive to you."

Eva sighed, instantly regretting her reaction. "Liz, that's not what I -"

But Liz was already brushing past her, sweaters in hand. "Don't worry about it. I'll get out of your way." Without another word or backwards glance, Liz disappeared down the hall and out the front door, letting it slam behind her.

Eva stood frozen, emotions swirling through her. She was relieved Liz was gone, but also felt guilty for handling things so poorly. One short encounter had unleashed a flood of unresolved feelings. Exhausted, she retreated to the couch. But try as she might to lose herself in a movie, she could only pick halfheartedly at a cookie, wishing she knew how to fix her still-broken heart.

Eva aimlessly flipped through TV channels, unable to focus on anything for more than a minute. Her thoughts kept spiraling back to the painful encounter with Liz. She knew rejecting the hug had come across as cold, but the prospect of physical affection from her ex had felt overwhelming in the moment. There were still too many unresolved feelings between them.