The Space Between Us

Unfinished Business

I stood in the break room, staring out of the window at the parking lot below, but my mind was far from the view, my thoughts kept drifting back to last night's date with Mia

We had laughed, shared stories, and had a genuinely good time, but something felt... off, there wasn't that spark, that undeniable connection I had always imagined there would be It was nice, comfortable even, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing

I sighed, running a finger along the rim of my coffee cup, was I overthinking things? Maybe I was too caught up in my own expectations to see what was right in front of me Mia was great funny, kind, always there when I needed her  

As I stood there, replaying the night in my mind, another face crept into my thoughts. One that shouldn't have been there

Rebecca.

Just thinking about her sent a pang of something sharp through me. Anger? Hurt? I couldn't quite tell, all I knew was that after everything she had done the way she had pulled away, gone cold without a word she still had a hold on me

And I hated that

My fingers tightened around the warm ceramic of the coffee cup as I tried to shake the thoughts of Rebecca away It wasn't fair. Not to Mia, not to me

But as much as I wanted to forget about her, Rebecca was always there, lingering in the back of my mind like a shadow I couldn't escape

"Emma."

The voice, that voice, sliced through the silence, freezing me in place I turned slowly, my heart already picking up speed as my gaze met Rebecca's, she stood in the doorway, looking as unsure as I'd ever seen her, her usual cool confidence replaced by something... softer. Vulnerable, even

I didn't say anything at first, just stared at her, after the way she'd treated me, she was the last person I expected to see standing there, and definitely the last person I wanted to talk to, yet she didn't move, just stood there, her eyes pleading for something I wasn't ready to give

"Rebecca," I finally managed, my voice colder than I intended I stayed where I was, leaning against the counter, my hands gripping my coffee cup a little too tightly I didn't trust myself to move. Not yet

She took a cautious step into the room, her eyes scanning the space as if to make sure we were alone, when she seemed satisfied, she looked back at me, her expression unreadable, there was something in her eyes—something that made my chest tighten

"I... wanted to talk," she said, her voice softer than usual

There was a hesitation in her words that wasn't like her at all Rebecca was always so sure of herself, so confident in everything she did, seeing her like this, uncertain and almost fragile, threw me off balance

"Talk?" I echoed, trying to keep my voice even. "About what?"

She stepped closer, but still kept a cautious distance between us. "About everything," she said, her voice faltering slightly before she steadied herself. "I know I've been distant. And cold. And... I know that wasn't fair to you."

I wanted to laugh, but the sound got caught in my throat

Distant and cold didn't even begin to cover what she had done, she had shut me out, completely and without explanation, leaving me to pick up the pieces of whatever it was we had. And now, after all this time, she wanted to talk?

"You're right," I said, unable to keep the edge out of my voice. "It wasn't fair."

She flinched at my words, and for a moment, I felt a twinge of guilt then I remembered the nights I had spent wondering what I had done wrong, the hurt I had tried so hard to bury, and the guilt faded away