THE NIGHT ETHAN COLE FINALLY FELT AT HOME
Chapter 9
The music changed again.
This time, it was slower.
Couples moved closer together.
Friends sat shoulder to shoulder.
People talked quietly.
Ethan stood near the fire.
The flames reflected in his eyes.
He thought about the first day he had arrived in Greyhaven.
He remembered the road.
The uncertainty.
The feeling that he was simply passing through.
He had been certain he wouldn’t stay.
Now he knew the names of people who lived three streets away.
He knew which boats belonged to which families.
He knew Lily’s favorite ice cream.
He knew June hated being thanked.
He knew Walter pretended to complain because he liked having someone around.
These things were small.
Almost meaningless.
But Ethan had learned that a life wasn’t built from dramatic moments.
It was built from small ones.
Coffee.
Conversations.
Broken bicycles.
Late shifts.
Shared meals.
Arguments.
Laughter.
And nights like this.
He realized that Greyhaven had slowly become a collection of memories.
And those memories had begun to feel like home.
