Rise: Tess 2

The pub was warm, slightly too loud, all scratched tabletops and sticky floors. Tess sat at a round table tucked in the corner, sipping something with lime in it and trying to will herself into a better mood.

Katie sat across from her, half-twisting a straw wrapper around her finger. Harrison- Her latest boyfriend was beside her, already leaning too comfortably into pub banter mode. He had a pint and a half-eaten packet of peanuts and was going on about some idiot apprentice at work.

"You ever just wanna put your head through plasterboard?" Harrison finished with a grin.

"Only when you talk for more than five minutes," Katie replied sweetly.

Tess snorted. Harrison wasn't awful. She'd met him twice before — enough to know he was a bit of a lad but not a complete dickhead. He adored Katie, at least. That part she respected.

"So," Harrison said, tapping his glass against the table, "how's the glamorous world of hair these days?"

"Same old," Tess replied dryly. "Lots of screaming kids and middle-aged women crying about fringes."

"Sounds like my job," Harrison said, grinning. "Except with more dust and fewer emotional breakdowns."

Katie looked up suddenly, straightening a little. "Oh—Ben's here."

Harrison perked up. "Legend. Told you he'd show."

He stood, half-bouncing with that irritating confidence, and made his way across the room.

Tess blinked. "Ben?"

Katie gave her a careful look. "Harrison's mate. He's nice. Just... talk to him, alright? No pressure, But... just be open."

Tess narrowed her eyes. "Is this a setup?"

"No! Not... exactly. Just—he's not awful. He's got a decent job, never ghosted anyone, and he's, you know, stable."

"Katie."

"Look, you could use some good company. Just talk-Flirt if you want." She said suggestively "If not, tell him you're into celibacy and go home and knit."

Tess tried to look irritated, but her mouth betrayed her — tugging into a reluctant smile.

Harrison reappeared, now with Ben in tow.

Ben was slightly taller than Harrison, with tousled dark hair and the kind of easy, clean-shirt charm that suggested he actually washed his sheets regularly. He didn't swagger or stare too long. Just gave a polite, slightly nervous smile.

Harrison gestured grandly. "Ben, this is Katie. You remember Katie. And this is Tess."

Tess gave a short nod. "Hi."

Ben smiled, easy and open. "Hey. Nice to meet you."

They all sat, and for a while the conversation stayed easy — nonsense about Harrison's mate who lost a tooth at five-a-side, Katie's newest skincare obsession, and some Netflix doc Ben recommended that Harrison swore was fake.

Ben was quiet, but not weirdly so. Just observant. He chimed in now and then, always with something that made Tess snort unexpectedly.

"Do you always let Harrison drag you into these kinds of things?" Tess asked lightly, sipping her drink.

Ben smiled. "Only when I'm promised free chips."

"You were promised chips?" Katie asked, indignant. "I wasn't promised anything!"

"That's because you're the one doing the promising," Tess murmured, dryly.

Katie rolled her eyes. "You're welcome."

Then the opening beat of a song came on — one Tess vaguely recognised from Katie's party playlists — and Katie gasped. "Harry."

"What– no."

"Get up."

"Katie—"

"Now."

Harrison groaned but followed her, muttering something about public embarrassment as they disappeared into the crush of bodies near the dance floor.

Tess glanced across the table. She and Ben were alone.

A pause stretched between them, not awkward exactly, but fragile.

Tess shook her head. "They're so subtle."

Ben smiled. "Honestly, I'm a little impressed."

"By what?"

"Their optimism. Assuming two strangers at a pub will click over one drink and an awkward setup."

Tess glanced at him. "You're not secretly into this, then?"

"Oh, I'm definitely secretly into this," he said, deadpan.

Tess laughed before she meant to. Just a breath, a reflex. It surprised her.

Another pause. Tess leaned back in her chair slightly, letting her fingers toy with the condensation on her glass.

"I feel like a kid again," she muttered. "Getting set up in a pub. Next she'll be trying to double date us at the zoo."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Not a bad idea."

"She's done it before," Tess said. "With a guy who was scared of birds. Absolute chaos."

That made Ben laugh, full and surprised.

They kept talking. About nothing special. Uni, shitty jobs, housemates that never did the dishes. A comfortable buzz wrapped around them, thanks to the drinks and the dim light.

Still, every now and then, Tess felt her mind drift.

To a different pub. A colder night. A different boy.

While she sat in a pub surrounded by other people's plans and soft music and setups... she wondered what he was doing. Where he was. If he'd think this was stupid — or worse, if he wouldn't care at all.

She shook it off. Focused back on Ben. He was looking at her like he'd just asked a question.

Tess blinked. "Sorry. What?"

"I said you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking."

He smiled. "Dangerous business."

And Tess found herself smiling too. Quietly. Carefully.

Because even if she didn't know what this was — even if her heart still limped behind her — she could sit here, sip her drink, and pretend. For one night.

—--

The last stretch home was the worst. Always had been. Especially on nights like this — late, quiet, the air heavy with that weird not-quite-rain smell that clung to everything. Her boots felt two sizes heavier, and her shoulders ached from hours on her feet.

Tess moved slower now. The streets were empty, the glow of living room windows flickering behind drawn curtains. Her buzz from earlier had worn off somewhere between the third yawn and the second bus transfer. Her head was clear now, too clear. And her throat scratched like it hadn't forgiven her for getting sick three times in one winter. She'd just shaken the flu — or what felt like the third round of it. Never quite kicked it before another cold came home with her.

Her body wanted bed, but her brain wasn't quite done.

It had been... nice. Stupid, chaotic, awkward — but nice. She hadn't expected to laugh. And yet, she had. More than once. And now all she felt was guilt.

For enjoying it.For letting herself sit across from someone and talk.For not flinching when he smiled.For not thinking about the past every single second.

But guilt's funny like that — always late to the party, but loud when it finally shows up.

People grow up thinking heartbreak's like a clean break. But it's more like... splinters. You keep finding pieces months–years later, just when you thought you were fine.

And just when Tess was doing alright — when she was laughing in a pub and feeling sort of normal — She'd feel it. One sharp piece still stuck inside. Reminding her that she didn't get to just start over. Not entirely.

She reached her street and turned the corner. Familiar cracks in the footpath guided her home like landmarks. Lights off in every window.

It's not like she was still tied to anyone. That's what she told herself, anyway.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Tess answered, voice low. "Hey."

Katie didn't waste time. "So?"

"So?"

Katie huffed. "Come on. He was cute! Normal. And I saw you laughing."

Tess didn't answer right away. Katie pressed, "You liked him.""I tolerated him.""You smiled.""That was the alcohol.""Oh, piss off. You didn't run out the door. That's progress."Tess rolled her eyes, but her voice softened. "Yeah. I guess."

Katie yawned down the line. "Anyway. Go to bed. You sound like you're dying again.""I'm not.""Sure.""Night, Katie.""Night, you cold-hearted wench."Tess smiled and hung up.

She pushed open the gate to the little front yard, damp leaves curling along the path. The porch light flickered as usual — needed replacing, but she never got round to it.

Inside, the house was quiet. She didn't turn on the overheads, just made her way through the dark hall quietly, boots off, coat on the peg, careful not to creak the stairs.

In the mirror near the stairs — the one she always passed without meaning to look — she caught her reflection.

Mascara smudged. Hair flat. Eyes dull.

She looked like someone trying. That counted for something right?

She exhaled and turned away Just as her phone buzzed again.

Ben: Hey. Was nice talking to you tonight. Want to grab a coffee sometime? No pressure.

Tess stared at the screen, thumb hovering.

No pressure?

She didn't reply.

Not yet.