The words hit me harder than I expect. I glance at her, taking in the sincerity beneath her usual playful tone. Violet is my person. My constant. And I know she wants me to be happy, but returning would mean leaving her again.

“I’m not gone yet. It’s only a maybe. Nothing’s set in stone.” But even as I say the words, my mind is already drifting to Alex and what it would mean to be with him again.

I can already see it—walking into his house, into his arms. Falling asleep with the steady beat of his heart under my cheek instead of through a screen. Waking up to him, not an empty pillow. Life felt fuller with him in it in ways I hadn’t even realized I was starving for. God, I miss him. I miss us.

Violet snaps her fingers in front of my face. “Earth to Magnolia.”

“Sorry, Vi.”

“You might be mentally booking a one-way ticket to Sydney, but some of us still have jobs to do.” She stands, adjusting her skirt. “Try not to spend the day doodling ‘Mrs. Magnolia Sebring’ in the margins of your notes, okay?”

I let out a laugh, shaking my head. “Thanks for the advice, but I’m not in seventh grade.”

“You’re in love, Mags. And he’s made you think about things you used to be scared to even imagine.” She blows me a kiss and struts out, leaving me with the thoughts in my head.

I’m still half-lost in thought when Elijah appears at the door, leaning against the frame, arms crossed. “You volunteering to go back to Australia was the least surprising thing I’ve heard all day.”

He steps inside––uninvited––dropping into the chair across from me. His expression shifts, more serious now. “You really want to do another three months in that place?”

I shrug like it’s no big deal, even though there’s nothing I want more. “If they need me, why not?”

“Because I can’t bear to go back, and I was hoping you felt the same way.”

I study him for a moment. “You should stay in Charleston. Be with Sophie. Work on things.”

He lets out a short laugh, shaking his head. “There’s nothing to work on. What happened in Australia wasn’t a relationship. We were having a little fun, making the most of an unpleasant situation.”

This guy’s a discount fuckboy with delusions of grandeur. Bad combination. “Elijah––”

He lifts a brow. “What is it, Mags?”

There’s probably no way to say this that’ll actually get through his thick skull, but I have to try. “You need to talk to Sophie about that. Because I don’t believe she sees it the same way you do. I think her perspective is quite different.”

Before he can respond, movement in the doorway catches my eye.

Sophie.