I found her later that evening.
Alone.
Sitting on the steps outside the dorms.
"You've been avoiding me," I said.
She didn't look surprised.
"Maybe."
"That's not an answer."
She sighed softly.
"Felix…"
"No," I cut in. "Not this time. I'm done with the vague answers and the secrets."
She looked up at me.
And for once—
She didn't try to deflect.
"You want the truth?" she asked.
"Yes."
"All of it?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Then she stood up slowly, facing me fully.
"We knew each other," she said.
My heart skipped.
"Knew each other how?"
Her lips parted slightly—
Then closed again.
"I can't," she whispered.
Frustration surged through me.
"Why do you keep doing that?" I demanded. "You start to tell me something, then you just stop."
"Because it's not just my story to tell!"
"Then whose is it?"
She didn't answer.
Of course she didn't.
"You're hiding something," I said.
"Yes," she admitted.
That caught me off guard.
"And you're just… okay with that?"
"No," she said quietly. "I hate it."
"Then why keep doing it?"
"Because if I don't—"
She stopped.
Again.
I let out a frustrated breath.
"This is exactly what I mean."
"I know," she said softly.
Silence stretched between us.
Then—
"Did we date?" I asked.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
"It's a simple question," I said. "Did we?"
She didn't answer immediately.
And that—
That was answer enough.
My chest tightened.
"We did," I said.
It wasn't a question.
Her silence confirmed it.
"How long?" I asked.
"Felix…"
"How long?" I repeated.
"Long enough," she whispered.
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to process everything.
"This doesn't make any sense," I muttered. "Why don't I remember you?"
She looked at me—
And for a moment—
I thought she was going to tell me.
Really tell me.
But then—
She stepped back.
"You should go," she said.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"No," I said firmly. "Not this time."
"Felix—"
"I'm not walking away again," I said.
The moment the words left my mouth—
Something changed.
Her expression broke.
Completely.
"Again," she repeated softly.
And suddenly—
I realized I had said something I wasn't supposed to.
Something I didn't even understand.
But she did.
And the look on her face—
It wasn't just sadness.
It was heartbreak.