My apartment had never felt so quiet.

Two days earlier, I had been surrounded by music, relatives, flowers, and Cole.

Now there was only my suitcase on the floor and the memory of kissing him in my parents’ kitchen.

My phone buzzed.

Cole.

Made it home?

I stared at the message longer than necessary.

Yes. Just got in.

His reply came a minute later.

Good.

That was it.

No mention of the kiss.

No mention of what he had said on the front steps.

I should have been relieved.

Instead, I spent the next day thinking about him.

I thought about the wedding and how everything had been heightened there. Finding out Jake had lied. Learning Cole had wanted me. Sitting awake together after everyone went to bed.

Maybe the kiss belonged to that weekend.

Maybe once I was back in my normal life, it would feel different.

It did not.

That afternoon, I called Jake.

He answered immediately.

“Are you calling to yell at me again?” he asked.

“I have not decided.”

“That sounds promising.”

I sat on my couch.

“Why did you really do it?”

Jake was quiet.

Then he sighed.

“I told you. I thought I was protecting you.”

“That is what you told yourself.”

Another silence.

“Yeah,” he said. “It was.”

I waited.

Jake continued.

“Cole was my best friend. You were my sister. If you dated and it went badly, I thought I would be stuck in the middle.”

“So you avoided being uncomfortable.”

“When you say it like that, I sound terrible.”

“You were terrible.”

“I know.”

That stopped me.

Jake rarely surrendered that easily.

“I am sorry, Hannah,” he said. “Actually sorry. I should have trusted you both to make your own decisions.”

My anger did not disappear.

But it softened.

“You wasted a lot of time for us.”

“I know.”

“I might stay mad for a while.”

“That is fair.”

I smiled despite myself.

Then Jake said, “Can I tell you one thing without you yelling?”

“No promises.”

“I already made Cole’s decision for him once.”

I went still.

Jake continued.

“Do not make it for him again.”

I looked toward my phone.

“What does that mean?”

“It means if you do not want him, fine. But do not decide he only wants you because of what happened ten years ago. Let him tell you what he wants.”

For once, my brother had nothing else to say.

Neither did I.

That evening, I was heating leftovers when someone knocked on my apartment door.

I almost ignored it.

Then they knocked again.

I opened the door.

Cole was standing in the hallway.

For several seconds, I could only stare.

He looked tired.

And very pleased with himself.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I drove.”

“I can see that.”

Cole smiled.

I looked past him, as though there might be a logical explanation standing behind him.

“There are several states between us.”

“One state.”

“Still several hours.”

“Three and a half,” he said.

I narrowed my eyes.

“How do you know where I live?”

Cole hesitated.

“You are surprisingly easy to track down.”

“My mother gave you my address.”

“Immediately.”

I closed my eyes.

“Of course she did.”

“She also offered me directions.”

“She has wanted grandchildren since Jake said I do.”

Cole laughed.

Then the laughter faded.

“I did not come here because of your mother.”

I looked at him.

He shifted his weight.

“I liked you when I was nineteen.”

My stomach tightened.

“I know.”

“But I am not here because I want to go back and recreate something we never had.”

I stayed quiet.

Cole looked directly at me.

“I do not know if nineteen-year-old us would have worked.”

“That is surprisingly romantic.”

“I drove three and a half hours. Give me some credit.”

I smiled.

Cole stepped closer.

“What I know is that I liked talking to you at the wedding. I liked fixing stupid lights with you. I liked sitting in that kitchen until two in the morning hearing about the person you became when I was not around.”

My smile disappeared.

He continued.

“And I have spent the last two days wishing I could do it again.”

“Cole…”

“So forget what Jake did.”

He paused.

“Forget what might have happened ten years ago.”

I looked at him.

“What are you asking me?”

Cole smiled slightly.

“The question I should have asked you myself the first time.”

My heart started beating faster.

“Hannah, will you go out with me?”

I laughed.

Not because it was funny.

Because after ten years, the question was almost ridiculously simple.

“Yes.”

Cole blinked.

“Yes?”

“Yes, Cole.”

His smile appeared slowly.

I stepped forward, caught the front of his jacket, and kissed him.

This time, there was no wedding.

No family house.

No brother standing between us.

Just Cole.

And me.

Finally answering for ourselves.

He drove three and a half hours just to ask her himself. After ten years of other people deciding for them, that YES felt earned. Like and share if you loved their ending.