Aria woke up knowing she didn't want to move.
It wasn't the kind of exhaustion sleep could fix. It sat deeper behind her eyes, in her chest, in the slow heaviness of her limbs. She lay on her side, staring at the wall as morning light crept across the room, soft and indifferent.
School felt impossible today.
Not because she was sick.
Not because she was lazy.
But because something inside her felt… off.
Still, she pushed herself upright.
That was what she always did.
She sat on the edge of her bed for a long moment, feet flat on the floor, head bowed, breathing evenly like she was bracing herself for something unseen. Eventually, she stood, moved into the bathroom, and turned on the shower.
The water was lukewarm she hadn't even waited for it to heat properly. She let it run over her shoulders, quick and mechanical, as if she were afraid lingering too long would give her thoughts room to spiral.
By the time she dressed, she felt detached from her own body.
A simple outfit. Comfortable. Neutral. Nothing that invited attention. She tied her hair back loosely, grabbed her bag, and left the apartment without looking back.
The walk to campus felt longer than usual.
Every step felt like effort.
When she arrived, she noticed him immediately.
Frank.
He stood near the building entrance, backpack slung over one shoulder, laughing quietly at something on his phone. He was in her department familiar but not close. Someone she'd spoken to a handful of times about assignments and deadlines.
Nothing more.
Aria didn't slow down.
Didn't smile.
Didn't acknowledge him beyond the briefest flick of awareness.
She passed him the same way she passed dozens of other students every day.
Normal.
She took her seat in class near the middle row, set her bag down, and stared at the front of the room as students filtered in. Her mind drifted, unfocused, thoughts slipping away before she could hold onto them.
She didn't notice Liam at first.
But he noticed her.
He noticed Frank too.
From where Liam stood near the door, the picture formed quickly and inaccurately. Aria walking past Frank. Frank turning his head. The familiarity of shared space. The history Liam already carried in his chest.
Frank was on the opposing basketball team.
Frank had never liked him.
Frank had always competed instead of collaborated.
Liam's jaw tightened.
He took his seat behind Aria, eyes fixed on the back of her head, his mood darkening with each passing second. He told himself it shouldn't matter. That it was nothing.
But jealousy didn't ask permission.
When class ended, Aria stood and shouldered her bag, already feeling drained. She didn't even realize Liam was angry until she felt it the sharp shift in his energy as he walked beside her.
"Who's Frank to you?" he asked suddenly.
She blinked, confused. "What?"
"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about."
She stopped walking. "Liam"
"You walked past him like that meant nothing."
"It did mean nothing," she said calmly. "He's in my department."
Liam scoffed softly. "Funny how it never looks like nothing."
Her chest tightened not with guilt, but disbelief.
"I didn't talk to him," she said. "I didn't even stop."
"But you noticed him."
She stared at him. "I notice people, Liam. That doesn't mean anything."
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration written all over his face. "You know he doesn't like me."
"That's not my responsibility."
The words landed harder than she intended.
Liam's eyes darkened. "So you don't care how it looks?"
"I care about what's real," she said. "And what's real is I did nothing wrong."
He didn't respond.
That silence hurt more than shouting would have.
The rest of the day unraveled slowly.
Every interaction felt off. Every word felt like it landed wrong. When Aria spoke, Liam seemed distant. When she stayed quiet, he seemed irritated.
It was like walking on broken glass barefoot careful and still getting hurt.
At lunch, she sat alone.
At practice time, she didn't go watch.
She didn't have the energy to prove herself innocent of something she hadn't done.
By the end of the day, her head ached and her shoulders felt impossibly heavy. She left campus without looking back, the city blurring around her as she walked home.
Inside her apartment, the silence was immediate and suffocating.
She dropped her bag by the door and collapsed onto her bed fully clothed, face turned into the pillow. For a long time, she didn't move.
She wasn't crying.
She was just… tired.
Tired of being misunderstood.
Tired of explaining herself.
Tired of carrying emotions that weren't hers.
Eventually, she forced herself up. Took a shower. Ate a few bites of food she barely tasted. Went back to bed.
Sleep came quickly.
Too quickly.
When she woke again, morning light filtered softly through the curtains. Her body felt heavy but rested, like sleep had put a temporary pause on everything pressing against her.
She lay still, staring at the ceiling.
Yesterday replayed itself in her mind not dramatically, not emotionally just factually.
She hadn't flirted.
She hadn't lied.
She hadn't crossed a line.
Yet she'd spent the entire day feeling like she had.
That wasn't fair.
She sat up slowly, pulling the blanket around her shoulders.
Liam wasn't a bad person. She knew that. But this version of him the one that read intention into silence, betrayal into proximity was not the Liam she'd first met.
And she refused to carry blame that didn't belong to her.
She reached for her phone, then paused.
Not yet.
She needed to speak to him but not reactively. Not defensively.
Clearly.
Calmly.
On her terms.
Aria stood, walked to the window, and watched the city wake up below. People moved with purpose. Life continued.
She inhaled deeply.
I'll explain, she decided.
Not because I owe him guilt but because I value honesty.
And if he listened, good.
If he didn't
She straightened her shoulders.
She would still be okay.