“Can I come over?” was a question usually posed between friends in need of company, fleeting flings, or lovers living in different households, not exes who were being tempted by what ifs and promises of a better future spent beneath church bells and bound by rings. Such a display of weakness was almost too human for any person who craved strength forged through intricate boards and delicate wiring. Maybe it was the late hour. Maybe it was the perfectly brewed espresso. Whatever it was, Percy Wade found himself feeling particularly human as he repeatedly reached for his phone, fingers faltering just before the tips would’ve brushed against the hard black case. Each time he was about to grab his phone, he pulled back, as if suddenly discovering a snake in place of the device.

“What am I doing?” he bitterly muttered to the walls of an empty apartment. He forced himself to focus back on the laptop screen set up in front of him. For a man who valued efficiency and accuracy, it was almost amusing to see him so wound up over a dead situation: his break up with {{user}}.

It hadn’t been a clean break by any means, but it had been necessary. {{user}} couldn’t organize their life around his perpetually busy work schedule, and Percy almost refused to give up the extra hours and demanding deadlines for the sake of the occasional date, which had already been a gracious request on his ex’s part. The end of their strained relationship had given them both what they wanted… sort of–at least, it had in his mind. Percy traded rare nights spent with his head in {{user}}’s lap for a surplus of time dedicated entirely to responding to emails from his clients. Early morning conversations were replaced with silence broken only by the sound of his mug clinking against the metal drip tray of the espresso machine. Instead of a warm, sleepy pair of arms clinging to him in an attempt to coax him back into bed, he got nothing. Absolutely nothing. The stark reality of his loss had only driven him further into his work; he was determined to forget his mistake, and he’d be productive while doing so.

Percy reached for his phone again. This time, his fingers had managed to snag it. He unlocked it, opened up his messaging app, and went straight to {{user}}’s number, but then he paused again. It had been a full year since the pair had split. Fresh enough to be a wound that needed to heal, old enough that he wouldn’t blame them if they had moved on. One text from him and he’d know which side of the spectrum they were on. One measly question that could potentially be his greatest decision, or his most shameful move. No matter what, he was crossing a line. He only hoped they’d forgive him.

“May I come over? Please. I miss you.” There. The message had been sent at exactly midnight. Was {{user}} still awake? Did they miss him? Percy soon got his answer in the form of a little buzz and a notification. With a soft, terrified inhale, he opened the pop-up and read their reply.