Aria didn't go to class that morning.
Not immediately.
She stayed in her apartment longer than usual, moving slowly, deliberately, as though every action required conscious effort. She made her bed neatly. Washed her cup after breakfast. Checked her phone twice without opening any messages.
Liam hadn't called.
That didn't surprise her.
She had learned, already, that when Liam went quiet, it wasn't absence it was emotion simmering beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment to spill.
By mid-morning, she decided she wouldn't let things stretch any longer.
Unspoken tension had a way of turning into something else entirely.
She dressed simply, tied her hair back, and left her apartment. The walk to campus felt familiar yet distant, like she was watching herself move through a routine she'd memorized long ago.
She found Liam near the outdoor courts.
He sat on the low concrete bench, elbows resting on his knees, head slightly bowed. He looked tired not angry, not sharp-edged like the day before. Just… worn.
Aria stopped a few steps away.
"Liam," she said softly.
He looked up.
The moment their eyes met, something in his expression shifted. The defensive edge dulled. His shoulders loosened slightly, like he'd been bracing himself without realizing it.
"Hey," he replied.
She took a breath and sat beside him, leaving just enough space to feel respectful not distant.
"I wanted to talk," she said.
"I figured," he answered quietly.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The sounds of campus life moved around them footsteps, laughter, distant whistles but in their small pocket of space, everything felt still.
"I'm sorry about yesterday," Liam said finally.
She turned to him. "For what?"
"For how I reacted," he said. "I didn't listen."
Aria nodded slowly. "You didn't."
He ran a hand over his face. "I know you didn't do anything wrong. I know that. It just " He exhaled. "Something in me snaps before my brain catches up."
She watched him carefully. This was the Liam she recognized the one who admitted fault without being pushed.
"I need you to understand something," she said gently. "I can't keep defending myself for things I didn't do."
"I know," he said quickly. "You're right."
She hesitated, then continued. "When you get like that, it makes me feel like I'm constantly being watched. Measured."
Liam's jaw tightened not in anger, but guilt.
"I don't want to lose you," he said quietly.
The words landed heavy.
Aria looked down at her hands. "I'm not trying to leave."
He reached for her fingers, tentative at first, then more secure when she didn't pull away.
"I just care," he said. "Too much sometimes."
She turned to him then, searching his face. "Caring shouldn't hurt."
"I know," he said. "And I don't want to hurt you."
They sat like that for a while, hands intertwined, the tension easing little by little. Liam leaned closer, resting his forehead against her temple.
"I'll try to be better," he murmured. "I promise."
Her chest warmed at his words.
"I'll try too," she said.
He pulled back slightly, looking at her. "Try what?"
"To make things right," she said. "Always."
The moment she said it, something subtle shifted inside herbsomething she didn't quite recognize yet.
Liam smiled, relief evident in his eyes. He leaned in and kissed her gently, not rushed, not demanding. Just a soft press of lips that carried gratitude more than desire.
When they parted, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.
She let him.
She always did.
What she didn't notice what she couldn't feel yet was how the promise had placed weight on her shoulders.
Always.
She went to class afterward, her mind quieter but not lighter.
As she walked down the hallway, she felt it before she saw it the sensation of being observed.
Chloe stood near the lockers.
She looked the same as always: composed, polished, emotionally unreadable. She pretended to be busy on her phone, but her eyes lifted at the exact moment Aria passed.
Their gazes met.
Just briefly.
Chloe's expression didn't change. No smile. No frown. Just a flicker of something restrained concern buried beneath pride.
Aria slowed instinctively, surprised.
"Hey," she said softly.
Chloe nodded once. "You okay?"
The question was casual. Almost careless.
But Chloe didn't usually ask questions she didn't mean.
"I'm fine," Aria replied.
Chloe studied her for a second longer than necessary, then looked away. "Good."
She pushed off the locker and walked past, not waiting for more conversation.
Aria stood there for a moment, unsettled.
That was Chloe's waybstepping close without crossing the line, caring without admitting it.
Later that day, Chloe sat alone in the library, pretending to read while her thoughts wandered.
She had noticed the way Aria carried herself lately. The slight hesitation in her steps. The way she paused before responding to people. The carefulness.
Chloe didn't like it.
But pride kept her silent.
She told herself Aria had chosen her path.
Still, when she saw Aria laugh softly with classmates, Chloe watched a moment longer than she should have, her jaw tightening just slightly.
Don't get involved, she told herself.
That evening, Aria returned home feeling emotionally drained but oddly settled. Liam had softened. Things felt… okay.
She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, replaying the conversation.
I'll always try to make things right.
The words echoed.
At the time, they had sounded loving.
Now, they felt… heavy.
She brushed the thought aside and turned on her side, phone lighting up with a message from Liam.
Liam:
Thank you for today. I don't deserve you.
She smiled faintly and typed back.
Aria:
We're figuring things out.
She didn't add anything else.
Across campus, Chloe sat on her bed, phone untouched beside her.
She thought about texting Aria.
She didn't.
Instead, she whispered to the empty room, "Just don't lose yourself."
And hoped Aria never would.