C28 Decision

Sierra had spent most of the morning trying to concentrate on work, but her thoughts kept returning to the same things.

Alex.

His illness.

And the possibility that her feelings for him had never really gone away.

She leaned back in her chair, staring at the document open on her laptop. She knew she couldn't keep questioning herself forever. Perhaps she still loved him. Perhaps knowing what he was going through had only made it harder to ignore feelings she'd spent three years trying to bury.

Whatever the answer was, she knew one thing for certain: she couldn't bring herself to stop caring about him.

She also knew that Alex might never feel the same way.

That possibility hurt, but she was beginning to understand that she couldn't make her feelings disappear simply because they weren't returned. She could accept his decision without pretending that he had become unimportant to her.

She wouldn't force her way into his life. She wouldn't use what she'd learned about his condition as an excuse to get closer to him, either. If she ever found a way to encourage him, she wanted it to be something he could accept without feeling pitied.

There was still Miles to think about.

Sierra picked up her phone and opened their conversation. She scrolled through their recent messages, pausing over his last invitation to spend time together.

She liked Miles. He was thoughtful, easy to talk to, and had never given her a reason to doubt his intentions. She had enjoyed getting to know him, and she didn't want to dismiss what they had shared simply because Alex had reappeared in her thoughts.

But she couldn't keep moving forward with Miles while silently questioning whether she was being fair to him.

He deserved someone who was certain she wanted to be with him, not someone who was still trying to understand her feelings for another man.

Sierra locked her phone and set it aside.

She would speak to Miles soon. She didn't know exactly how the conversation would go, but she wanted to be honest with him before things went any further.

A knock on her office door interrupted her thoughts.

“Sierra? Do you have a minute?”

She looked up to see one of her colleagues standing in the doorway.

“Sure. Come in.”

The woman stepped inside with a folder in her hand and began explaining an issue with a report that needed to be completed before the end of the day.

Sierra turned her attention to the work in front of her, asking a few questions and making notes as they went through the details.

By the time the conversation ended, she had another task to finish and two emails waiting for replies.

It was an ordinary workday, and she intended to treat it as one.

She returned to her laptop and began working through the report, allowing the familiar routine to occupy her mind.

For the moment, Alex could remain a thought she hadn't figured out how to deal with, and Miles could wait until she was ready to have an honest conversation with him.

She didn't have all the answers yet.

But at least she was beginning to understand which questions she could no longer afford to ignore.

---

Peter pulled up outside Alex's house and glanced at the back seat.

“Come on. We're here.”

His niece gathered her things before climbing out of the car. Peter retrieved her bag from the trunk and followed her to the front door.

He knocked, waiting for someone to answer.

A few moments later, Joan opened the door.

“Oh, Peter. I thought you were coming later.”

“Plans changed.” He handed her the bag. “I was already in the area, so I thought I'd drop her off now.”

"and...?" Joan gestured towards the little girl

"Katherine...nice to meet you"

The little girl gave her a warming smile.

" There's no way you're related to her.."

She joke.

"I'm Joan"

"Yeah I've heard, He's mentioned you before"

"I bet he did"

Joan stepped aside to let them in.

“Alex isn't home?”

“No. Just me.”

Peter looked around the living room as his niece settled in.

“Where did he go?”

“Out, I think. He didn't say he'd be leaving for long.”

Peter nodded. He hadn't expected Alex to spend the entire day sitting at home, but after the recent hospital visit, he had hoped his friend would take things a little easier.

Then again, expecting Alex to do anything simply because it was sensible had never been a particularly successful approach.

Joan noticed his expression.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Peter.”

He sighed. “I was just wondering whether your brother has remembered that he's supposed to be taking it easy.”

Joan gave him a knowing look.

“You can ask him that yourself when he comes back.”

“And he'll give me some irritating answer about how he's perfectly fine.”

“Probably.”

Peter shook his head, almost smiling.

“Wonderful. At least we're in agreement.”

Joan laughed softly before turning her attention to her niece, asking whether she wanted something to eat or drink.

Peter remained near the doorway for a moment, considering whether to wait for Alex. He had a few things he wanted to discuss with him, but there was no point hanging around if his friend wasn't coming back anytime soon.

“I'll head out,” he said. “Tell Alex I stopped by.”

“I will.”

“And make sure he eats something decent.”

Joan folded her arms. “You know, you're beginning to sound like his older brother.”

“Someone has to do the job.”

“I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear that.”

Peter gave her a dry look before heading toward the door.

“Just tell him I came by.”

“I will, Peter.”

After he left, Joan closed the door and returned to the living room.

She glanced at her phone, briefly considering whether to call Alex and ask where he was. In the end, she decided against it.

He would return when he was ready.

For now, she had a guest to look after, and she intended to make the afternoon as comfortable as possible for her.