Back To You

Line crossed and unspoken (8)

The following days were a blur of texts I didn't want to answer, glances I tried to avoid, and awkward silences. After the restaurant, things had gotten way too tense for me to handle. I didn't even know what to think anymore.

I tried to ignore it all. I focused on school, hanging out with Olivia, and keeping my mind distracted from the mess I'd walked into. I was angry—angry at both of them. But there was something about the way Bryce always seemed to know exactly how to get under my skin that made me angry in a different way. He'd always been that person—flirting, teasing, pushing boundaries in ways that were almost impossible to resist. But now it felt like a game I wasn't sure I wanted to play anymore.

Tayler, on the other hand, was quieter. His distance wasn't as dramatic, but I could feel it—like something had broken between us that couldn't just be fixed by time. Every time I thought of the way he looked at me in that restaurant, like he wanted to break something, I couldn't shake the weight of it. He wasn't angry, but he wasn't the Tayler I knew either. He was lost in his own head, trying to figure out where he stood.

I was used to being the one who patched things up, but this time I didn't have the energy to do it. I wasn't sure I even wanted to.

Bryce was the first to reach out. Of course, he was. He'd always been the one to jump back into things, to smooth things over with a few words and a wink. The text came in late one night while I was in bed, scrolling through my phone.

Bryce: "You still mad at me, or are we done with the silent treatment?"

I stared at the screen for a long moment, my thumb hovering over the keyboard. Part of me wanted to ignore it—just leave it unread and pretend nothing had happened. But another part of me, the one that hated the tension between us, knew that answering him would at least give me some closure.

Madi: "I don't know, Bryce. You really know how to mess things up, don't you?"

Bryce: "Hey, I'm sorry. I was a little out of line. But you know I don't do well with that whole 'not getting what I want' thing."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help but smirk at the message. That was Bryce, always saying exactly what he thought, no matter how cocky it sounded.

Madi: "Yeah, well, not everyone is a fan of that 'get what I want' attitude."

Bryce: "I get it. I'm not great at handling the emotional stuff. But I don't want to just pretend like nothing happened. If I've got a shot at fixing things, I'm taking it."

His honesty surprised me. For a moment, I didn't know how to respond.

Madi: "I don't know, Bryce. You really know how to turn everything into a joke. I don't want to be part of that."

Bryce: "Not everything's a joke. I swear. I messed up, okay? Just... let me show you I can be serious."

I didn't reply immediately. Instead, I just stared at the screen, wondering if I could actually believe him this time. I couldn't ignore the chemistry we shared, but at the same time, I couldn't shake the feeling that he was just trying to pull me back into the same cycle we'd always been in.

Madi: "Okay, slow down. I'm not saying we're okay, but... I guess we can try to figure this out."

As soon as I sent it, I felt a weird mix of relief and uncertainty. Would this be a new start? Or were we just doing this to avoid the awkward silence?