Stars Aligned

Fourth Chapter - end

An hour passes, and he can't focus on the paperwork. He keeps thinking about the disappointed look on her face, the hurt in her eyes when he dismissed her words. He realizes that his heart has been racing the entire time, his anxiety growing with every passing minute. He tries to focus on the work in front of him, but his thoughts keep going back to her, to the way she looked at him before she left the kitchen. He keeps wondering if she feels the way he does towards her.

He lets out a heavy sigh, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his temples. The more he thinks about it, the more confused he becomes. His thoughts run rampant in his brain, each one more confusing than the last.

Part of him wants to believe that her feeling hurt about his words was the proof she feels something.

But the other part of him, the logical part, reminds him that she's never shown any real romantic interest in him before. Sure, they've been friends since childhood, and she's always teased him and bantered with him like a friend would. But what if he's reading too much into it?

What if she's just comfortable enough around him to tease him like that? What if he's just seeing what he wants to see, mistaking her playfulness for something more? His heart clenches at the thought, the familiar feeling of uncertainty and anxiety gnawing at his insides.

The time flies and it was time for lunch, before he goes to the kitchen he pass by on the guest room.

He pauses outside the guest room, his heart racing in his chest. He hesitates for a moment, not sure if he should go in or not. He's torn between wanting to check on her and wanting to give her space. Finally, he takes a deep breath and gently knocks on the door.

"Cam?" he calls out quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Can I come in?"

There's a moment of silence, and he almost thinks she's not going to answer. But then, he hears a soft voice from the other side of the door. "Yeah, come in."

He slowly pushes the door open, revealing her sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window. She turns her head slightly to look at him, but her expression is guarded, distant.

He stands in the threshold, feeling the weight of her mood. "I...uh, wanted to see how you're doing," he says awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "And see if you're hungry. It's lunchtime."

She nods but doesn't say anything, still looking out the window. He feels the tension in the room, the strain between them palpable. He hates this, hates the way she's keeping her walls up, hates the awkwardness between them.

He takes a tentative step inside the room, closing the door behind him. "Listen, I...I just wanted to apologize for this morning. For what I said," he begins, his voice soft but firm. "I didn't mean it the way it came out. I just...I'm not good at expressing myself, you know that."

"It's okay....you don't need to apologize.....there's nothing between us"

His heart wrenches at her words, his stomach clenching with sudden pain. "What do you mean...nothing between us?" he asks, his voice betraying a hint of hurt. "We've been friends since we were kids. Don't you think there's 'something' between us?"

"You know what I mean when I say that"

He does know what she means. He just doesn't want to accept it. He stands there, his expression unreadable, his heart pounding in his chest. "Is that really what you think?" he finally says, his voice low. "You don't think there's anything more between us?"

"You already said that earlier when you said love is a strong word"

He winces as her words hit him like a punch in the gut. He knows he was careless with his words this morning, but hearing her throw them back at him like that hurts more than he anticipated. "Cam, it's....it's not that simple," he replies, his voice pleading. "You know I'm not good at expressing my feelings. I don't always say the right things, but that doesn't mean I don't-"