☆Hate Sparks☆

Chapter Five: Personal Revelations

Zoe paced nervously in the living room, rehearsing what she wanted to say. The sound of a key in the lock made her freeze. Alex walked in, looking tired and distracted.

"Hey," Zoe said, trying to keep her voice casual. "How was work?"

Alex shrugged, dropping his bag on the floor. "Fine. Long day." He pulled out his phone, frowning at the screen.

Zoe took a deep breath. "Alex, can we talk? I feel like we need to-"

"Can it wait?" Alex interrupted, still staring at his phone. "I'm beat, and I've got some emails to catch up on."

"It's important," Zoe pressed. "I've been feeling... I don't know, like something's off between us lately."

Alex finally looked up, his expression guarded. "What do you mean?"

Zoe hesitated, then plunged ahead. "You've been working late a lot, always on your phone. And yesterday, when I called, I heard a woman's voice..."

Alex's posture stiffened. "Are you accusing me of something?"

"No! I just... I'm worried. We used to talk about everything, and now it feels like you're pulling away."

"You're being paranoid," Alex snapped, his voice rising. "I told you, it's just been busy at work. Sarah's part of my team. There's nothing going on."

As if on cue, his phone buzzed. Alex glanced at it immediately, his fingers moving to type a response.

"See?" Zoe said, frustration building. "You can't even have this conversation without checking your phone!"

Alex's eyes flashed with anger. "Maybe I'm checking my phone because I don't want to have this conversation. Do you realize how insulting it is that you don't trust me?"

"I want to trust you," Zoe pleaded. "But you have to admit, your behavior's been different lately."

"My behavior?" Alex scoffed. "What about you? You've been so wrapped up in this pipeline stuff, and now suddenly you're all buddy-buddy with Aria Blackwood. How do you think that makes me feel?"

Zoe recoiled, stunned. "What does Aria have to do with this?"

"Oh, come on," Alex said, rolling his eyes. "Every time you come home from those cleanup projects, it's 'Aria this' and 'Aria that.' I thought she was the enemy."

"She's... it's complicated," Zoe stammered, thrown off balance by the accusation. "We're just working together. That's completely different from-"

Alex's phone buzzed again. This time, he turned away slightly as he read the message, his expression unreadable.

"You know what?" Zoe said, tears pricking at her eyes. "I can't do this right now. I'm going for a walk."

She grabbed her jacket and keys, ignoring Alex's halfhearted protest as she stormed out of the apartment. The cool night air hit her face, matching the chill that had settled in her heart.

Without consciously deciding, Zoe found herself walking towards Willow Creek Park. The cleanup project had become a strange source of comfort, a place where things made sense even as the rest of her life seemed to be unraveling.

As she approached the park entrance, a familiar figure caught her eye. Aria was sitting alone on a bench, staring out at the creek.

Zoe hesitated, then approached. "Aria? What are you doing here so late?"

Aria looked up, surprise giving way to a wan smile. "Zoe. I could ask you the same thing."

"I just... needed some air," Zoe said, sinking onto the bench beside her. "Rough night."

Aria nodded, understanding in her eyes. "Join the club."

They sat in companionable silence for a moment, the gentle sound of the creek filling the air.

"Want to talk about it?" Aria finally asked.

Zoe sighed. "It's Alex. We had a fight. He's been so distant lately, always on his phone, and when I tried to talk to him about it, he got defensive. He even accused me of... of having feelings for you."

Aria's eyebrows shot up. "Oh." She was quiet for a moment, then said softly, "And do you?"

The question hung in the air between them, charged with possibility. Zoe's heart raced as she struggled to find an answer.

"I... I don't know," she admitted. "Everything's so confused right now. What about you? Why are you out here alone?"

Aria's hand unconsciously moved to her bruised arm. "Let's just say I'm reevaluating some of my life choices. Including who I let get close to me."

Understanding dawned on Zoe. "Aria, is someone hurting you?"

Aria's eyes filled with tears. "I thought I could change him. Stupid, right?"

Without thinking, Zoe reached out and took Aria's hand. "It's not stupid. But you deserve better."

Their eyes met, a current of unspoken emotion passing between them. For a moment, the rest of the world fell away – the pipeline, their ideological differences, the complications with Alex – leaving only this fragile connection in the moonlight.

As they sat there, hands entwined, Zoe realized that whatever happened next, nothing would ever be the same again.