The restaurant Elise chose was a small neighborhood place with mismatched wooden chairs, paper-covered tables, and enough background noise to make silence feel less dangerous.<\/p>\n
Nothing about it looked romantic.<\/p>\n
That helped.<\/p>\n
Mabel sat in a high chair between us, chewing on the corner of a laminated menu while Elise studied the actual food choices.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re letting her eat that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe appears committed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been touched by strangers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo has the high chair.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is not helping.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took the menu gently from Mabel.<\/p>\n
She immediately reached for mine.<\/p>\n
Elise looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour turn.\u201d<\/p>\n
I surrendered it.<\/p>\n
Mabel slapped it against the table with both hands.<\/p>\n
For a few minutes, the evening remained easy.<\/p>\n
We ordered.<\/p>\n
We discussed daycare.<\/p>\n
We argued mildly over whether Mabel actually liked peas or merely tolerated them.<\/p>\n
Elise claimed she had photographic evidence of disgust.<\/p>\n
I said facial expressions should not be treated as sworn testimony.<\/p>\n
The server brought water.<\/p>\n
Mabel tried to put a lemon wedge in her mouth.<\/p>\n
We stopped her at exactly the same time.<\/p>\n
Our hands collided.<\/p>\n
Both of us withdrew.<\/p>\n
The moment lasted less than a second.<\/p>\n
It still changed the air.<\/p>\n
I looked toward the kitchen.<\/p>\n
Elise adjusted Mabel\u2019s cup.<\/p>\n
Neither of us commented.<\/p>\n
When the food arrived, Mabel spent more time dropping pieces of pasta than eating them.<\/p>\n
I bent down twice to retrieve them before remembering the pediatrician\u2019s advice and giving up.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s winning,\u201d Elise said.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has always been winning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re just noticing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cApparently I\u2019m slow.\u201d<\/p>\n
That earned a quiet smile.<\/p>\n
Then we ate.<\/p>\n
I had expected tension.<\/p>\n
Instead, conversation drifted around ordinary things.<\/p>\n
A project at my office.<\/p>\n
A difficult client.<\/p>\n
Elise\u2019s manager.<\/p>\n
Her decision to pursue a local promotion rather than the Bellhaven job.<\/p>\n
She spoke more freely about work than she had when we were married.<\/p>\n
That realization bothered me.<\/p>\n
Not because she had changed.<\/p>\n
Because I had never listened closely enough to know how much she had once wanted to say.<\/p>\n
She told me her department was being reorganized.<\/p>\n
\u201cI may apply for the regional director role.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked suspicious.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t even know what it involves.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know your face changed when you mentioned it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise sat back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is annoyingly observant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m compensating for nine years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her expression changed.<\/p>\n
The joke had landed too close to something real.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s true.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down at my plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a lot of things I wish I had noticed sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise did not rescue me from the discomfort.<\/p>\n
I appreciated that.<\/p>\n
The old version of our marriage often depended on her smoothing whatever I made awkward.<\/p>\n
Now she let silence remain silence.<\/p>\n
Mabel solved it for us by launching her spoon.<\/p>\n
It landed near my shoe.<\/p>\n
I picked it up.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise looked confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe spoon count.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re still keeping score?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have trauma.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou created the trauma.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso true.\u201d<\/p>\n
The evening relaxed again.<\/p>\n
That was how it happened now.<\/p>\n
A difficult moment.<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Then continuation.<\/p>\n
No dramatic repair.<\/p>\n
No explosion.<\/p>\n
Just two people learning not to turn every bruise into a weapon.<\/p>\n
After dinner, we walked outside.<\/p>\n
The air had turned cool.<\/p>\n
Mabel wore a tiny hooded jacket and insisted on holding both our index fingers while taking uncertain steps along the sidewalk.<\/p>\n
She moved slowly.<\/p>\n
One foot.<\/p>\n
Then the other.<\/p>\n
Her concentration was so serious that Elise and I both became quiet.<\/p>\n
Eventually Mabel stumbled.<\/p>\n
I caught her under one arm.<\/p>\n
Elise steadied the other.<\/p>\n
For a moment we stood close.<\/p>\n
Our daughter between us.<\/p>\n
It looked like a family.<\/p>\n
That thought arrived without permission.<\/p>\n
I stepped back first.<\/p>\n
Elise noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMove away.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could have lied.<\/p>\n
Habit would have made that easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I didn\u2019t want to assume.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAssume what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat the moment meant something it didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise\u2019s expression became unreadable.<\/p>\n
Mabel tugged both our hands again.<\/p>\n
We continued walking.<\/p>\n
After half a block, Elise said, \u201cYou think I invited you to dinner because I\u2019m confused.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I don\u2019t know why you invited me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you didn\u2019t ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
I considered the question.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you said dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat simple?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying to make things that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat must be exhausting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n
That made her laugh.<\/p>\n
We reached her car.<\/p>\n
I lifted Mabel into the seat while Elise loaded the diaper bag.<\/p>\n
Once the straps were secured, I closed the door.<\/p>\n
Neither of us immediately left.<\/p>\n
Streetlights came on above us.<\/p>\n
Elise leaned against the side of the SUV.<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked you because I wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, I don\u2019t think you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remained still.<\/p>\n
She crossed her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spend a lot of time with you now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of Mabel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mostly.<\/p>\n
The word changed something.<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
Elise continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd somewhere along the way, being around you stopped making me tense.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s probably the nicest terrible thing anyone has ever said to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to hear your key in the door and wonder which version of you was coming home.\u201d<\/p>\n
That erased the smile from my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cElise\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not trying to punish you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe days before I left, I was scared all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot physically.\u201d<\/p>\n
She answered quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf being lied to again. Of questioning reality. Of finding another charge, another excuse, another message.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was part of the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked toward the car window.<\/p>\n
Mabel was playing with the buckle strap.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t feel that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Something painful and hopeful moved through me at once.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t ask where I\u2019ve been.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t question why I take twenty minutes to answer a message.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t try to make me responsible for your moods.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost protested.<\/p>\n
Then remembered how often I once had.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her gaze returned to mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cDinner wasn\u2019t a test.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd it wasn\u2019t a promise.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I think I handled dinner reasonably well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou stole half my fries.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMabel did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMabel ate three.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was acting through me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise rolled her eyes.<\/p>\n
Then something softer settled over her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood night, Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood night.\u201d<\/p>\n
I drove home alone.<\/p>\n
For the first time, being invited into Elise\u2019s company outside parenting obligations did not make me construct a future.<\/p>\n
That felt like progress.<\/p>\n
It also felt dishonest to pretend I had no hope at all.<\/p>\n
Hope existed.<\/p>\n
I simply did not want it to become pressure.<\/p>\n
The following weeks tested that distinction.<\/p>\n
Elise and I had dinner again.<\/p>\n
Then coffee.<\/p>\n
Then one Saturday morning after exchanging Mabel, she asked whether I wanted to walk through the farmers\u2019 market.<\/p>\n
We did.<\/p>\n
Nothing happened.<\/p>\n
That was what made it significant.<\/p>\n
No confession.<\/p>\n
No kiss.<\/p>\n
No sudden reconciliation.<\/p>\n
We talked about peaches.<\/p>\n
At one stall, Elise held up a tomato and asked why I had once claimed not to like them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou ate them constantly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly cooked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou ate them in sandwiches.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was married. I compromised.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stared at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cheated on me but endured raw tomatoes for nine years?\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
Then Elise laughed.<\/p>\n
Not bitterly.<\/p>\n
I started laughing too.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is an extremely unfair summary.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s devastatingly accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n
A woman beside us glanced over.<\/p>\n
Elise lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I deserved that one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The humor did not erase the pain beneath it.<\/p>\n
But it proved we could touch the past without always bleeding.<\/p>\n
One afternoon, when Mabel was with me, she developed a fever.<\/p>\n
It was not high.<\/p>\n
One hundred point six.<\/p>\n
Still, my stomach turned over.<\/p>\n
I called Elise immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s awake. Drinking. Wet diaper normal. No breathing issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had learned the order of information.<\/p>\n
Elise\u2019s voice remained calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you give her anything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUse the dosage from the pediatrician.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCall if it rises.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want me to come?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question surprised me.<\/p>\n
Part of me did.<\/p>\n
The frightened part.<\/p>\n
The part that still assumed Elise was the real parent and I was the apprentice.<\/p>\n
Then Mabel reached toward me from the couch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds more believable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll call if I need you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d<\/p>\n
I handled the fever.<\/p>\n
Mabel slept against my chest most of the afternoon.<\/p>\n
By evening it dropped.<\/p>\n
At eight, Elise called on video.<\/p>\n
Mabel looked exhausted but smiled when she saw her mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s my girl.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mabel touched the screen.<\/p>\n
I turned the phone so Elise could see the thermometer reading.<\/p>\n
\u201cNormal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Elise looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou did fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sentence used to make me feel proud.<\/p>\n
Now it made me feel calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few days later, Elise called while Mabel was at daycare.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got an interview.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor regional director?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFriday.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sound nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWant to practice?\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cInterview questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI interview people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor finance roles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sentence does not inspire confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me one hour.\u201d<\/p>\n
She agreed.<\/p>\n
That evening, we sat at her kitchen table after Mabel fell asleep.<\/p>\n
It was the first time I had been in her home at night.<\/p>\n
The detail made me careful.<\/p>\n
We stayed at the table.<\/p>\n
No wine.<\/p>\n
No nostalgia.<\/p>\n
No wandering through rooms that were not mine.<\/p>\n
I asked questions.<\/p>\n
Elise answered.<\/p>\n
I challenged vague responses.<\/p>\n
She accused me of becoming insufferably corporate.<\/p>\n
I told her senior leadership required suffering.<\/p>\n
By the end, she had rewritten three answers and thrown a balled-up sticky note at my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
Then became quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re staring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise looked at the papers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never asked about my work like this when we were married.\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Another small truth carrying years behind it.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
I could have blamed busyness.<\/p>\n
I did not.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought my work was more important.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up.<\/p>\n
The honesty hurt both of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The kitchen clock ticked.<\/p>\n
I gathered the papers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI should go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise did not object.<\/p>\n
At the front door, she said, \u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWin the job first.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean for taking it seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
No softness rescued the truth.<\/p>\n
I appreciated that too.<\/p>\n
Friday afternoon, Elise called me before she called Natalie.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood from my desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou got it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could hear her smiling.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegional director?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cCongratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s huge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should celebrate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI plan to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Mabel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd maybe dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith me?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want.\u201d<\/p>\n
That evening, we celebrated at the same restaurant as before.<\/p>\n
Mabel dropped pasta again.<\/p>\n
Elise ordered dessert.<\/p>\n
I raised my water glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Regional Director Morgan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise lifted an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a Morgan anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
Of course she was not.<\/p>\n
The divorce had restored her maiden name.<\/p>\n
Elise Bennett.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, that was careless.\u201d<\/p>\n
She studied me for a second.<\/p>\n
Then lifted her glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Regional Director Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n
I touched mine to hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Regional Director Bennett.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mabel clapped because she liked the sound.<\/p>\n
Afterward, Elise sat quietly for a while.<\/p>\n
Then she asked, \u201cDo you miss being married to me?\u201d<\/p>\n
The question stopped everything.<\/p>\n
The restaurant noise seemed to recede.<\/p>\n
I set down my glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes stayed on mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you miss me, or do you miss what you lost?\u201d<\/p>\n
I took my time.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise did not move.<\/p>\n
\u201cI miss our house sometimes. I miss waking up beside you. I miss believing my future had already been decided.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn\u2019t me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I miss you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I don\u2019t think missing you gives me a claim on you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her fingers tightened around the napkin.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if I miss you too?\u201d<\/p>\n
My pulse accelerated.<\/p>\n
I could have turned that sentence into a doorway.<\/p>\n
I could have rushed through it.<\/p>\n
Instead I asked, \u201cWhat do you want that to mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise looked at me for a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen it doesn\u2019t have to mean anything yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes grew wet.<\/p>\n
Not dramatically.<\/p>\n
Just enough that she blinked twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat answer is very different from the one you would have given a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would you have said?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat if you missed me, we should get back together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I think missing someone is information. Not an instruction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elise breathed out.<\/p>\n
Mabel banged her cup against the table.<\/p>\n
The spell broke.<\/p>\n
We both laughed softly.<\/p>\n
When we left the restaurant, I walked them to the car.<\/p>\n
Elise strapped Mabel in.<\/p>\n
Then turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked nervous.<\/p>\n
That was unusual now.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou keep saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stepped closer.<\/p>\n
Not much.<\/p>\n
Just enough that the distance changed.<\/p>\n
For a moment, I thought she might kiss me.<\/p>\n
She did not.<\/p>\n
Instead she touched my arm.<\/p>\n
Her hand remained there for three seconds.<\/p>\n
Then she withdrew.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood night.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood in the parking lot after she drove away.<\/p>\n
A year earlier, I would have called that failure.<\/p>\n
Now I understood restraint could be its own kind of trust.<\/p>\n
The question was no longer whether Elise still felt something.<\/p>\n
She did.<\/p>\n
So did I.<\/p>\n
The harder question was whether anything new could exist without pretending the old damage had never happened.<\/p>\n
The restaurant Elise chose was a small neighborhood place with mismatched wooden chairs, paper-covered tables, and enough background noise to make silence feel less dangerous. Nothing about it looked romantic. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5550"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5570,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5550\/revisions\/5570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}