she woke up in a cold sweat

the nightmares were still haunting her

plunging her back into an unhappy consciousness

sadness clung to her night and day

she forced herself to get out of bed

showering and dressing while numb

eating a bland tasteless breakfast

no pleasures brought by the simplest things in her life anymore

she preferred working from home

avoiding the awkwardness of being face to face with others

especially those who picked up on her true feelings

she could expertly hide behind a fake smile in the video conference calls

by mid afternoon she was winding down her online tasks

she held her breath when an email popped onto the screen

it was from an old friend she had not seen for many years

someone she still had very strong feelings for

she opened it with trepidation

he was coming into town and wanted to catch up

he suggested they meet for dinner on Friday

she accepted his invitation without hesitation

she slept soundly that night

waking up with thoughts about seeing him again

breakfast actually tasted good

she wore a genuine smile in the video conference calls that day

She arrived early for the dinner reservation

a martini settled her nerves

she saw him enter from across the room

he had aged well and was still dashingly handsome

he politely kissed her cheek while hugging her tightly

she almost feinted from being so close to him

he sat down and ordered a gin and tonic

are you ready to pick up where we left off were his first words