"I'm fine."
Tiana said it before Jeffery could even sit down.
He froze halfway into the chair, staring at her like she had just committed a crime.
"No," he said slowly, pulling the chair back out. "Sit properly. Let's try that again."
She blinked. "Try what again?"
"The lie."
Tiana sighed and dropped her bag.
"I'm not lying."
Jeffery leaned forward, studying her face like a detective in a low-budget crime show.
"You didn't cry."
"No."
"You didn't shout."
"No."
"You didn't block him?"
Tiana hesitated.
"…No."
Jeffery sat back dramatically. "Exactly. Suspicious behavior."
Despite herself, she almost smiled.
Almost.
"I'm just… tired," she said quietly.
That part wasn't a lie.
Jeffery's expression softened for a second.
Then immediately changed again.
"Good," he said. "Because I brought tea."
Tiana stared at him. "You always bring tea."
"And yet, your problems continue. So clearly, you're not drinking enough of it."
She let out a small laugh.
There it was again.
That tiny crack in the heaviness.
Jeffery noticed.
He always noticed.
They sat in silence for a moment as he poured the tea like it was a serious ceremony.
Then he said, casually:
"So… are we crying today or pretending to be strong?"
Tiana looked down at her cup.
"I don't feel like crying."
"That's worse," he replied immediately.
She frowned slightly. "How is that worse?"
"Because when you don't cry, it means the emotions are doing internal damage."
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you a therapist now?"
"No," he said. "I'm a concerned citizen."
This time, she laughed properly.
And for a brief moment…
The weight in her chest felt lighter.
But only briefly.
Her phone buzzed.
The sound cut through the room like a reminder she couldn't escape.
Jeffery's eyes widened. "If that's him, I'm answering."
"Don't you dare."
She picked up her phone.
And there it was.
Jones:
Can we talk later? I don't want things to end badly between us.
Tiana stared at the message.
Her expression didn't change.
But something inside her tightened.
Jeffery leaned over, shamelessly reading.
"Oh," he said. "Now he wants a peaceful ending."
Tiana exhaled slowly.
"He doesn't want it to end badly," she said. "But he also didn't want to stay."
Jeffery nodded. "Ah. The classic 'I want comfort, not commitment' package."
She didn't respond.
Because that sentence…
That sentence hit too accurately.
Jeffery watched her carefully this time.
The jokes slowed.
The air shifted.
"Tiana," he said more gently, "can I ask you something?"
She nodded slightly.
"When you were loving him… were you also choosing yourself?"
Silence.
The kind that doesn't rush to answer.
Tiana looked at her tea, watching the steam rise slowly.
She thought about the waiting.
The adjusting.
The way she minimized her feelings so she wouldn't seem like "too much."
"I thought I was," she said quietly.
Jeffery tilted his head. "And now?"
She swallowed.
"I don't think I was."
That truth sat between them.
Heavy.
Real.
Jeffery didn't joke this time.
He didn't interrupt it.
He just nodded.
"That happens," he said softly. "Especially to people who love deeply."
Tiana leaned back in her chair.
Her chest felt tight again.
But not like before.
This felt… clearer.
More honest.
"I kept thinking if I was patient enough…" she began.
"He would change?" Jeffery finished.
She nodded.
Jeffery sighed.
"People don't change because you love them harder," he said. "They change because they're ready to."
That one hurt.
Not sharply.
But deeply.
Her phone was still in her hand.
The message still open.
Waiting.
Jeffery glanced at it again. "So… what are you going to do?"
Tiana stared at the screen for a long moment.
Then slowly…
She locked her phone.
"I'm not replying right now."
Jeffery blinked. "Excuse me?"
She placed the phone on the table.
Calmly.
Intentionally.
"I've always replied immediately," she said. "I've always been available."
Jeffery leaned forward. "And now?"
She took a breath.
"Now… I want to see what happens if I choose myself first."
There was a pause.
Then Jeffery stood up suddenly.
Clapping once.
"I knew it!" he said loudly. "Character development!"
Tiana rolled her eyes.
"You're so dramatic."
"I have to be," he replied. "You're the main character. I'm just supporting cast."
She smiled.
A real one this time.
And for the first time since the message…
It didn't feel forced.
Jeffery picked up his cup again.
"So," he said casually, "what does choosing yourself look like?"
Tiana thought about it.
For a moment, she didn't have an answer.
And that scared her.
But also…
Excited her.
"I don't know yet," she admitted.
Jeffery nodded. "Good."
She frowned. "Good?"
"Yeah," he said. "Because it means you're finally about to find out."
Tiana looked at her phone one last time.
Then pushed it slightly away.
Not angrily.
Not emotionally.
Just… deliberately.
And in that small, quiet action…
Something began to shift.
Not in Jones.
But in her.