Chapter 26 - A Seat Made for One More

Chapter 26: A Seat Made for One More

It was Ivan’s idea.

A random suggestion in the ABIX chat.

Hey, been a while since we did something outdoors. Picnic at Botanic Gardens next weekend?

Crystal replied in five minutes.

Yes. I’ll bring snacks and sunscreen and too many drinks, as usual.

Aleem added:

If Ivan’s organizing it, I’m definitely showing up. I want to witness this anomaly in action.

Isabelle stared at the thread a moment.

Then messaged her boyfriend privately.

Would you want to come along? Just… chill? They’re important to me.

His reply came a few minutes later.

Of course. I’d love to meet them.

The morning was humid but kind. They found a shaded patch near the swan lake — enough breeze to be comfortable, enough quiet to feel like their own world.

Isabelle arrived with him beside her — button-down sleeves folded neatly, a clean navy bag over his shoulder, and that calm, composed air he always carried. He worked in cybersecurity for a government agency — not the kind to talk loudly about it, but the kind who always seemed in control.

He greeted everyone politely, not formal, but respectful. The kind of man who knew how to enter a new space without taking it over.

Crystal warmed to him first.
They talked about data privacy. She asked sharp questions; he gave clear, measured answers.

“You’re the quiet achiever type, huh?” Crystal said.

He smiled. “So is Isabelle. Maybe that’s why it works.”

Ivan nodded subtly in approval — not much of a talker, but clearly observing.

Aleem gave him one of his classic mock-serious glares. “You break her heart, we file a group tax evasion report.”

Isabelle’s boyfriend didn’t miss a beat. “I work in cyber defence. You’ll have to try harder than that.”

Aleem blinked.

Then grinned. “Okay. I like this guy.”

The day passed gently.

Isabelle didn’t hover. She didn’t need to.

He helped carry coolers, offered to take photos, quietly fixed the picnic mat that kept curling up at the edge. When Crystal laughed too hard and almost spilled iced tea, he passed her tissues before anyone else noticed.

He didn’t stand out.

But he fit.

Not because he changed himself — but because he understood the space Isabelle came from.

Later, while Aleem and Ivan were packing up, Isabelle stood a short distance away with him.

He glanced over at her. “They’re good people.”

She nodded. “They’ve seen me at my worst and still stayed.”

“And they’ll keep staying,” he said, simple and sure.

She looked up at him. “So will you?”

He held her gaze.

“I’m already here.”

That night, she lay in bed with her keychain from the last ABIX hangout clipped to her desk lamp.

She didn’t write in her journal. She didn’t need to.

But she saved one sentence in her notes app:

They didn’t ask him to prove anything.
And he didn’t try to impress.
He just stayed — like it was the most natural thing in the world.