Aubrey Collins ended her Thursday the same way she ended most days—standing in her small apartment, staring at her laptop, and wondering why her life felt stuck. She had moved to Ashford Bay three years ago because it sounded like the kind of city where people figured things out. It was big but not overwhelming, lively but not chaotic. A place to start fresh. That was the idea, at least.

Reality was different. Most days, she woke up, worked, came home, and tried not to think too much. She wasn’t unhappy, just numb in a way she didn’t want to admit. Her job at the design studio paid the bills, but every deadline felt like pushing a rock uphill with no real payoff. Her coworkers were fine. Her boss wasn’t. Her apartment was old, the heater worked when it wanted, and the walls let in every argument from next door.

But tonight, she felt restless. Not in a dramatic way—just tired of the routine, tired of sitting still, tired of scrolling through screens that didn’t change anything. So around eight, she closed her laptop, grabbed her jacket, and walked out the door. No plan, no destination. Just movement.

The boardwalk wasn’t far. It stretched along the harbor with bars, food stands, and bright lights that tried too hard. Aubrey didn’t even like it that much, but it was something to do. Something that wasn’t sitting alone.

She reached the water and bought a drink from a vendor. Too sweet, a little watery, but warm enough to hold. People moved past her in steady waves—tourists taking pictures, teenagers shouting, couples deciding where to eat next. Nobody cared about her, and she liked that. She didn’t have to say anything, do anything, or be anyone in particular.

She leaned on the railing and watched the boats moving across the harbor. Nothing meaningful happened. The night was just a night. And for a moment, that was enough.

Then she felt her bag lighten.

She checked it quickly. Her wallet was gone.

She looked around, trying to spot it on the ground, but before she could panic, someone called out behind her.

“Hey! You dropped this!”

Aubrey turned. A man held her wallet in one hand and pointed at the nearby bench with the other.

“It was sitting right there,” he said.

He walked over, steady and unfazed by the noise around them. Tall, built like someone who worked out without talking about it, wearing a plain T-shirt and jeans. Nothing flashy.

She took the wallet. “Thank you. Seriously. I didn’t even feel it fall.”

“No problem.” He leaned slightly on the railing. “People lose stuff here all the time.”

Aubrey nodded, feeling a flush of embarrassment fade. “I’m Aubrey.”

“Caleb,” he said. “Nice to meet you.”

They stood there for a moment, not awkwardly, just figuring out the shape of the moment. He didn’t seem like the type to try too hard. That made it easier to breathe.

“You come here often?” he asked.

“Not really. Only when I need to get out of my apartment before my brain melts.”

He laughed once. “That’s honest.”

“What about you?”

“I live a few blocks away,” he said. “Sometimes I come here after work to clear my head.”

“What do you do?”

“I coach high school basketball.”

She looked at him again. “That fits.”

“Why?”

“You look like you’re used to yelling over noise.”

He smiled. “Fair.”

They talked a little—not deeply, just the kind of surface-level conversation that didn’t ask for anything heavy. She told him her job made her tired. He told her the season was starting soon and his players were already complaining. It felt simple, which wasn’t a feeling she had often.

Then someone yelled behind him.

“Caleb! Dude, I swear you disappear like it’s your job!”

Caleb turned. A blond man in a denim jacket walked toward them with a grin that landed before he did.

“Where’d you go?” the man asked.

Caleb motioned to Aubrey. “Returning a wallet.”

The blond guy immediately shifted his attention to her. “Then I should say hi. I’m Chase.”

“Aubrey,” she said.

“Aubrey,” Chase repeated, giving a small nod like he approved of the name. “You picked a good night to drop something.”

“It wasn’t intentional.”

“Still worked out.”

Caleb shook his head. “Ignore him.”

“I’m being friendly,” Chase said.

Friendly wasn’t the word Aubrey would’ve picked—more like fast, bright, impossible to look away from. Chase carried the kind of presence that filled the air the moment he stepped into it. Not rude, not loud, just… noticeable.

“You two know each other?” she asked.

“Friends,” Chase said.

“Since forever,” Caleb added.

“That too,” Chase said. “Anyway, what are we doing? Hanging out? Talking life? Judging tourists?”

Caleb sighed. “We’re just talking.”

“Great,” Chase said, pulling up beside Aubrey like he’d been invited. “Mind if I join?”

Aubrey glanced at Caleb. Caleb shrugged, but he looked amused. She nodded.

“Cool,” Chase said. “So, Aubrey. What brings you out here?”

“Needed a break.”

“From?”

“Everything.”

Chase smirked. “Good answer.”

They talked as a group for a while. Small things. Bad takeout places. The weather. A street musician who kept playing offbeat. Nothing important, but not filler either. The kind of conversation that made the night feel less like something she wandered into and more like something she was part of.

After some time, Chase’s phone buzzed.

He checked it and groaned. “I have to go drag my friend out of a bar before he gets thrown out. Again.”

Caleb nodded. “Good luck.”

Chase smiled at Aubrey. “Glad we met. Hope it happens again.”

Then he took off into the crowd.

Caleb watched him leave. “He’s not always like that,” he said.

Aubrey raised an eyebrow. “Pretty sure he is.”

“Yeah,” Caleb admitted, “but it grows on you.”

She laughed. “I’ll take your word for it.”

They stayed a little longer, leaning against the railing, watching the water move. She didn’t talk much. He didn’t push. It was easy. Easier than she expected.

Eventually she checked the time. “I should head back soon.”

Caleb nodded. “Same.”

She hesitated before speaking again. “Thanks. For the wallet. And the company.”

“Anytime,” he said.

She walked back up the boardwalk, weaving through the crowd. When she reached the street, she looked back without meaning to. Caleb was still there, hands in his pockets, watching the harbor like he planned to stay a little longer.

She didn’t know why that stuck with her.

But it did.