Lara spent the rest of the day in a daze. She couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted within her during that brief encounter with Ethan. It wasn't just the easy conversation or his calm demeanor.... there was something deeper, an unspoken understanding that had passed between them. She didn't know what it meant yet, but it felt like the beginning of something she couldn't ignore.
That evening, back in her apartment, she found herself pacing back and forth, her thoughts tangled in a web of confusion. She hadn't felt like this in ages, not since Miles. The pull of his memory still lingered, though she tried her best to push it away. He was her past, a part of her life she'd closed off, hoping that time would erase the scars of their breakup.
But that wasn't how it worked, was it? Time didn't heal all wounds; sometimes, it just buried them deeper, only for them to resurface at the most inconvenient moments.
Her phone buzzed again, dragging her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the screen and saw the name Miles flash across it. A rush of conflicting emotions surged through her. She hadn't heard from him in months. Not since their last argument.... the one where everything had come crashing down, leaving her wondering if they were ever meant to be.
She hesitated, her finger hovering over the screen. What would she say to him? How could she explain all the changes in her life? The distance, the silence, the way everything between them had become... unclear.
She put the phone down and sighed, rubbing her temples. Instead of texting Miles, she opened her contacts and scrolled until she found Ethan. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to reach out to him. Perhaps it was because he had made her laugh, or because for the first time in a long while, he'd made her feel like she wasn't invisible.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she typed a quick message: "Thanks for the company today. I didn't expect to feel so... at ease."
She stared at the screen, waiting for a response. The minutes ticked by slowly. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe it was strange to text someone she barely knew. But then the three dots appeared, and a reply came through.
"I'm glad you felt that way. It's rare to find someone you can talk to like that. Hope to see you around."
The message was simple, but something about it made Lara smile. He didn't feel distant or aloof like so many people in her life. Ethan's words felt... genuine.
Suddenly, a knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. She frowned, wondering who could be visiting at this hour. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Jason standing there, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jacket, looking unusually serious.
"Jason?" Lara raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"
He stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, looking around her apartment as if searching for something. "We need to talk."
Lara crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "About what?"
"About Miles," Ben said, his voice lower than usual. "You've been avoiding the topic for weeks now, and I'm not letting you hide from it anymore."
Lara's stomach tightened. "Jason, I told you...."
"No, you told me you're fine," he interrupted, his tone firm. "But you're not. You never talk about him, Lara. You never talk about what happened between you two, and it's starting to eat at you."
She bit her lip, trying to suppress the emotions rising within her. "I don't want to talk about him, Jason. Not now. Not ever."
Ben stepped closer, his gaze softening. "You're only fooling yourself if you think you can move on without facing it. What happened between you and Miles? You owe it to yourself to figure it out."
Lara closed her eyes, her mind flashing back to the day she and Miles had ended things. The arguments, the broken promises, the feeling of being trapped in a relationship that no longer felt right. She had loved him once, deeply, but somewhere along the way, they had become strangers to each other.
"I don't know if I can do that," she whispered. "I don't know if I can face it."
Jason reached out and gently touched her arm. "You don't have to do it alone. You have me. And maybe, just maybe, you can let someone else in, too."
Lara looked up at him, her chest tightening. For the first time in a long while, she realized that maybe Jason was right. Maybe it was time to face the past and let go of the things that had been holding her back. Maybe it was time to open her heart again, even if it meant taking a risk.
Her phone buzzed again. She glanced down at it, and her heart skipped a beat. A message from Ethan: "Maybe we can meet up soon? There's a place I know that might be worth checking out."
She smiled softly, her thoughts swirling with the possibilities. Perhaps it was time to take that step, to move beyond the surface and see where it led.