The following day, Liam couldn't shake the heaviness from his conversation with Eva. As he walked across the university campus, the familiar sights of students rushing to classes felt distant, like he was moving through a world that didn't quite belong to him anymore.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was Mei.
Mei: Can we talk?
Liam stared at the screen for a moment, his heart beating a little faster. He hadn't seen Mei alone since that dinner at her apartment. There was something about her request that made him nervous, but avoiding her wasn't an option. He texted back.
Liam: Sure. Where?
They met at a quiet spot in the park near campus. Mei was already sitting on one of the benches, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her coat. When Liam approached, she looked up with a small smile, but her eyes betrayed the nervousness behind it.
"Hey," Liam said, sitting down next to her.
"Hey," Mei replied, her voice soft. There was a pause, neither of them sure how to start the conversation they both knew was coming.
Mei finally broke the silence. "I've been thinking about the other night," she began, echoing the words Eva had spoken to him just the night before. "About how things have been between us… for a long time."
Liam tensed, knowing exactly where this was heading. "Mei, we've been friends for years. I don't want to ruin that."
"I know," Mei said quickly, turning to face him. "But maybe that's the problem, Liam. We've always been so close, and I think… I think somewhere along the way, I started to feel more for you. I didn't realize it until Max and I got serious, but—" She stopped, biting her lip as if unsure whether to continue.
Liam felt his chest tighten. He had been avoiding this conversation for so long, unsure of his own feelings. But now, hearing it come from Mei, everything he had been suppressing was rushing to the surface.
"You're engaged to Max," he said, his voice almost a whisper, trying to ground himself in the reality of the situation.
"I know," Mei said again, her voice trembling. "And I love him. I do. But I can't ignore what's been between us for all these years. Can you?"
Liam looked away, his gaze drifting toward the trees swaying gently in the breeze. He wanted to say something, to reassure her, but he couldn't deny what had always lingered just beneath the surface between them.
"I… don't know," he finally admitted, his voice barely audible. "I've been confused too, Mei. You've always been important to me, but now… everything feels different."
Mei nodded slowly, as if she had expected his answer but had hoped for something else. "I think we both need to figure out what we really want," she said softly, her eyes filled with sadness.
Liam's mind raced. He thought about Eva, the way she had looked at him last night, the way she had asked him to be honest about his feelings. She deserved more than uncertainty. And Mei… Mei deserved clarity too.
"Mei, I care about you deeply," Liam said, turning to face her fully. "But you're with Max. You're engaged, and I can't be the one who complicates that. You two are starting a life together, and I don't want to get in the way."
Mei blinked, as if processing his words. For a moment, the silence between them was filled with the soft sounds of the park around them. "I think I needed to hear that," she finally said, her voice shaky. "Thank you for being honest."
They sat there for a while longer, the tension slowly giving way to a quiet understanding. The bond between them wasn't something that could be erased, but it had to evolve—both for their sake and for the people they cared about.
Later that evening, Liam found himself at his apartment, his thoughts still swirling. His phone buzzed, and he saw a message from Eva.
Eva: Can we talk?
Liam's heart dropped. He wasn't sure if he was ready, but after what had happened with Mei, he knew there was no running from the truth anymore.