"What Are You Waiting For?" || ORIGINAL STORY.

Chapter Twenty.

Tanya's POV.

I waited for Darren to arrive at my apartment, my thoughts consuming me, pulling me into a non-existent void.

The idea of him being here, in my personal space, was making me feel.. weird.

I know he was here before.. but him being here tonight, alone, after months..

I looked around my room, making sure I didn't have anything lying around.

I heard a knock on my door and walked over to it, my heart suddenly beating fast against my chest.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.

And there he was, Darren, standing outside my door.

He looked.. tired, a bit rough around the edges.

Seeing him standing there, just.. looking at me made my heart skip a beat.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.

And there he was, Darren, standing outside my door.

He looked.. tired, a bit rough around the edges.

We stood there for a moment, just looking at each other.

I couldn't tell what was going through his mind, and I didn't even know what was going through my own mind..

Finally, he broke the silence.

"Hey.." His voice was soft, almost tender.

"Hey." I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

I stepped aside, allowing him to enter.

As he walked past me, I could smell his cologne, and the familiar smell of the rain made my heartrate pick up, filling me up with nostalgia.

I closed the door behind him, feeling the tension in the air.

I could tell something was off with him..

He stood in the middle of my living room, looking around, like he was trying to find something..

Or maybe I was just overthinking..

I walked over to the sofa and sat down, gesturing for him to join me.

He did, sitting down next to me, a bit of distance between us.

The silence felt heavy, stifling.

I could tell he was holding back, like he wanted to say something, but was struggling to form the words.

I waited, giving him time, silently hoping he'd just.. speak.

"Are you alright?" He suddenly asked.

I was expecting him to tell me about something that was bothering him, but he instead..

"Uh.. Yeah. I'm okay, why?" I responded, my tone slightly confused.

He didn't answer right away.

Instead, he looked at me, his eyes scanning my face, like he was trying to read my mind.

I shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze.

Finally, he spoke again.

"You seem.. different." He said quietly.

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

Different? Me? How?

"Different?" I repeated, my voice slightly defensive.

He shrugged, his eyes still fixed on me.

"I don't know.. just a feeling." He said.

I opened my mouth to protest, to tell him that he was wrong, that I was exactly the same, but he continued before I could get a word out.