He snorts. “Always.”
“Traffic?”
“Worse.”
“Cost of living?”
“Don’t get me started.”
I grin faintly. “So nothing’s changed?”
“Pretty much.”
“Internet still a thing?” I add, because I can’t help myself.
Jack looks at me like I’ve just asked if the sky still exists. “Yeah.”
“Fast?”
“Depends where you are.”
“Of course it does.”
Sonny groans dramatically. “I hate both of you.”
I glance at him. “Why?”
“Because you’re talking about things I can’t have.”
Jack huffs a quiet laugh.
“What about coffee?” I ask, because now I’m committed.
Jack squints at me. “You meanrealcoffee?”
“Yeah.”
He exhales slowly. “Mate…”
I grin. “Still good?”
“Still good,” he confirms.
Sonny drops his head back against the wall. “I’m going to lose my mind.”
“Bit late for that,” I say.
“Rude,” he says, shooting me a big-arse grin. But there’s a warmth to it now. Familiarity.
The whole exchange is grounding in a way I didn’t realise I needed until this moment.
Ten years gone. And somehow it still feels close enough to reach.
Sonny gestures vaguely. “Where’s your shadow?”
Jack frowns. “Jamie’s with the others. Training.”
“Kid’s a menace,” Sonny says, and I smile, having heard from Varek a fair amount about the kid, Jack’s nephew.
