Chapter 15: Love Languages and Mixed Signals
The first message Ayla read that morning was from Caden.
Caden:
Morning, Ayla. I hope you're okay. I'm giving you space, but I want you to know I miss you. I'll wait as long as you need.
She sighed, staring at the text. His sincerity was unmistakable, and a part of her chest tightened at the thought of him waiting. She wanted to text him back. She really did.
But then she thought about Sabrina's smirk, the messages from the unknown number, and the hotel—the lies, or half-lies, whatever they were. Doubt still clung to her heart like wet clothes on a rainy day. She closed the message without replying.
Lisa's voice snapped her back to reality as she leaned against Ayla's desk at work.
"So, are you going to keep ignoring him?" Lisa asked with zero subtlety.
Ayla rubbed her temples. "I need time to figure things out."
Lisa snorted. "What are you, writing a romance novel? You're overthinking this way too much."
"Lisa, this isn't like deciding what to order for lunch," Ayla grumbled.
"No, but it's like having a sandwich in front of you and starving because you're too busy wondering if there's mustard on it."
Ayla gave her an exasperated look. "Mustard ruins everything. Bad analogy."
Lisa grinned. "That's exactly what I mean. Caden's like the sandwich—flawed, sure, but do you really want to toss it out over mustard?"
Ayla laughed despite herself. Lisa's logic was ridiculous, but annoyingly effective. "I hate how your dumb metaphors sometimes make sense."
Lisa gave her a satisfied smile. "Exactly. Now go eat your sandwich."
Caden, meanwhile, was strategizing—or at least, trying to. Ella had bullied him into a brainstorming session over lunch.
"So, your grand plan is to just wait around and send her good-morning texts?" Ella asked, raising an eyebrow.
Caden slumped in his seat. "I'm giving her space like she asked."
"Space is good, sure, but sometimes space is just an excuse for people to avoid their feelings." Ella smirked. "You've got to mix things up."
"Like what? Show up with flowers and a boombox playing 80s love songs?"
Ella's eyes sparkled. "That's…an option. But no. You need something less cliché, something that shows you care without being a total sap."
Caden sighed. "You mean like a grand romantic gesture that doesn't look like a grand romantic gesture?"
Ella grinned. "Exactly. And lucky for you, I have an idea."