The café had a certain charm to it—nothing too fancy, but just enough to make you feel comfortable. It was the kind of place where time slowed down, where you could easily lose yourself in a conversation or the quiet hum of other people doing the same. Lia and I settled into our seats, the initial awkwardness starting to fade as we sipped on our drinks. It was nice—just nice.
"So, how's college been going for you?" Lia asked after a few moments of silence. Her voice had that familiar calm to it as if she was genuinely interested in how I was doing.
"It's been alright," I said, trying to sound casual. "A lot of pressure with everything, but I'm managing. How about you? Same old?"
Lia shrugged, her fingers tracing the rim of her cup. "Yeah, pretty much. I think the hardest part is just… figuring out what I'm doing after graduation, you know? Everyone's got their plans already, and I'm just… I don't know. I think I'm still figuring it out."
Her words hit me harder than I expected. It wasn't just about school anymore. There was something else there, a deeper question, one I wasn't sure I was ready to confront.
But I pushed the thought aside for now, offering her a small smile. "Yeah, I get that. I guess we all feel a little lost sometimes, huh?"
She returned my smile, but there was a slight hesitation in her eyes, a quiet sort of conflict. It wasn't the first time I'd noticed it, but today it felt different. Maybe because we were actually face-to-face rather than texting through screens. There was an intensity in her gaze, something that made me wonder if there was more she wanted to say.
"Do you ever feel like… like maybe you're holding yourself back?" Lia's voice was soft, almost a whisper as if she was testing the waters before diving into something deeper.
I felt my heart skip a beat, unsure of how to respond. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know," she said, looking down at her cup. "Like… there are things I want to do, things I want to try, but I always second-guess myself. It's like I'm stuck in this cycle of hesitation like I don't know if I'm doing things for the right reasons."
I could feel the weight of her words hanging between us. I knew what she meant—there were moments when I felt the same way, unsure of what I was doing or why I was doing it. But I didn't know how to tell her that. Instead, I just nodded, trying to convey understanding without saying too much.
"I get that," I replied. "But maybe it's okay not to have everything figured out. I mean, who does, right?"
She laughed softly, though there was a sadness to it, a quiet acknowledgment that maybe, just maybe, she didn't have all the answers.
We fell into a comfortable silence then, each of us lost in our thoughts as we took in the low hum of conversation around us. I could feel the pull between us, the unspoken tension in the air, but neither of us was brave enough to voice it out loud.
After a few minutes, Lia shifted in her seat, her eyes flicking to me with a kind of curiosity I hadn't seen before.
"Cha," she said, her voice softer now. "Do you ever feel like you're more than just… the person everyone expects you to be?"
I tilted my head, unsure of where she was going with this. "What do you mean?"
"You know… like, everyone has this idea of who you are, and you just go along with it because it's easier. But deep down, there's this other side of you, one you can't really share because you're afraid it won't fit the mold."
Her words made my chest tighten. She was talking about something deeper, something personal. Something I didn't know how to explain. I had always been the quiet, reserved person—good at blending in, good at helping others, but never really standing out for myself. It was easier to just… be who everyone expected me to be.
"I don't know," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I guess I've never really thought about it that way. I just… I do what I have to do."
Lia nodded slowly, her gaze drifting to the window as if lost in thought. The air between us felt heavy, with words unspoken, but neither of us seemed ready to cross that line yet.
The conversation shifted again, this time back to lighter topics. We talked about books and movies and even made fun of some of the ridiculous things happening at school. But there was still this undercurrent of something more, something I couldn't name.
By the time the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the café, we were both sitting there in silence, no longer needing to fill every moment with words. It was as if being in each other's presence was enough.
When we finally stood to leave, Lia surprised me by hugging me. It wasn't anything big, just a brief, soft embrace, but it felt significant. A gesture that meant more than words could say. And for a second, I let myself hold onto that feeling, knowing that whatever happened next, this moment was something I would remember.
We said our goodbyes outside the café, both of us standing there for a moment, unsure of what to say next.
"Thanks for hanging out," I said, smiling at her. "It was nice."
"Yeah," Lia replied, her eyes meeting mine for a second before she looked away. "It was. I'll see you around, okay?"
I nodded, watching as she walked away, the sound of her footsteps fading into the evening air.