You Are Worth It

S E V E N T E E N

She closes her eyes,
But her heart won’t lie, 
In its quiet corners,
She draws him inside. 
Like the moonlight,
Soft and bright, 
Shining in the stillness of the night. 
He is her only one.
Her heart knows the truth,
Clear and bright, 
But she’s too afraid to bring it to light.

•••

"Guess who?" 
Alan heard a familiar voice as cold hands gently covered his eyes. A smile immediately spread across his face as he guessed,
"Anya?!"

"The one and only!" 
Anya Ridaff said with a bright smile as she uncovered his eyes and gave him a hug.

"When did you get back?" 
Alan asked, surprised to see his closest friend return so suddenly.

"Yesterday. I wanted to surprise you." 
Alan and Anya had become fast friends during their second year of law school. They were so similar that it was almost inevitable. Anya’s father, Mr. Ridaff, was a professor there, and Alan often spent Christmas with them. They adored him for his politeness and intelligence.

"It's good to be back after so long."
Anya said. She had spent the past two years working in Hawaii but was now back in Chicago for good. To top it off, she was now a senior advisor at the same company where Alan had a meeting today.

“Let’s catch up over lunch.”
Before Alan could say anything, Anya dragged him to the nearest cafe.

°°°

Evanna tried to eavesdrop on the conversation between Alan and Anya, but Conner's loud munching made it nearly impossible to hear anything. Frustrated, she shot him an annoyed look.

"Can't you eat without making so much noise?"
She snapped.

"It's tasty. You can't blame me."
Conner replied with a grin before diving back into his meal.

Evanna sighed, her eyes drifting back to Alan and Anya. She watched as Anya leaned in to say something that made Alan burst into laughter. A pang of irritation flickered through her.

"Why did we even sit away from them? We could have joined them.”
Evanna muttered, unable to hide the irritation in her voice.

Conner glanced at Evanna, then back at Alan and Anya.
"Even though sir told us we could sit with them, you’ve got to read the room, Evanna. They’re catching up after a long time. Let’s not make things awkward for them."

After a moment, he added without thinking,
"Now that I see them together, it’s no wonder those rumors started."

Evanna’s curiosity piqued.
"What rumors?"

"Well,"
Conner began cautiously,
"Some people say they were practically inseparable back in law school. Apparently, they were known as 'The Dynamic Duo' or something. And get this—there’s a wild rumor that Ms. Anya had a secret—"
Conner suddenly stopped, realizing he was spilling gossip in front of the CEO's wife, not just a regular colleague.

"Why did you stop? Keep going!"
Evanna urged, her interest turning into insistence.

Conner hesitated, his nervousness showing.
"Those are just silly rumors. Nothing true."

"I still want to hear them. Tell me."
Evanna said, her voice dropping to a more serious tone, one that made Conner gulp.

"Well,"
Conner began again, choosing his words carefully,
"I’m sure it’s all nonsense, but the rumors are that Ms. Anya had a crush on Alan, and she was heartbroken when she had to move to Hawaii."
Conner avoided looking directly at Evanna, silently cursing himself for letting this slip out.