Unwritten Scripts

Chapter 2: The Night We Forgot

  The music pounded through the walls, a steady beat that matched the rhythm of Maya’s racing heart. She could feel the bass in her chest, reverberating through her entire body as she pushed through the crowd, clutching a red solo cup in one hand and Anika’s wrist in the other.

“Come on, Maya! Live a little!” Anika’s laughter rang out, her voice carefree as she twirled, her sari-style dress catching the light. They had just finished their last high school prom, and somehow, they’d ended up at the biggest after-party of the year. A party they had never expected to be invited to.

Maya smiled, trying to relax, but the unease that had settled in her stomach since the moment they’d arrived wouldn’t go away. “I’m trying, Ani. Just…not my scene, you know?”

Anika rolled her eyes but squeezed Maya’s hand affectionately. “I know. But it’s our last night together before everything changes. One last hurrah before we go off and conquer the world.”

Maya looked around for Sebastian, spotting him near the kitchen, laughing with a group of guys who looked like they’d stepped out of a fashion magazine. He caught her gaze and grinned, excusing himself to come over.

“There you are! I was beginning to think you were avoiding me,” Sebastian teased, his voice a little louder than usual. He looked different tonight, almost too comfortable in this setting, a stark contrast to the Sebastian she knew—the one who preferred movie nights over wild parties.

Maya shook her head. “Never. Just…getting my bearings.”

“Don’t think, just drink!” he said with a wink, holding up his cup.

Anika chimed in, “Exactly! To the end of an era!” She raised her glass, and Maya and Sebastian followed suit.

“To the end of an era,” they echoed.

The three of them downed their drinks, the alcohol burning a familiar trail down Maya’s throat. She knew she should pace herself, but something about this night felt like a tipping point, a moment she would never get back. And she wanted to feel free, if only for a few hours.

The night blurred into a whirl of laughter, dancing, and more drinks. At some point, the crowd thinned, and Maya found herself alone in the backyard with Sebastian. They sat side by side on the steps, the cool night air brushing against their flushed faces.

“I’m really gonna miss this,” Sebastian murmured, his gaze distant as he stared up at the stars. “You, me, Ani… It’s never gonna be the same after tonight, is it?”

Maya looked at him, her chest tightening. “No, it won’t. But we’ll still be friends, right? No matter what?”

Sebastian turned to her, his expression softening. “Always.”

The moment lingered, the weight of the unspoken words hanging between them. Before Maya could think twice, she leaned in, her breath hitching as their lips met. It was tentative at first, both of them testing the waters, but then something shifted. The kiss deepened, fueled by months of repressed emotions and the haze of alcohol.

Sebastian pulled back slightly, his eyes wide with confusion. “Maya…we shouldn’t—”

But she silenced him with another kiss, not wanting to think, not wanting to stop. And for a moment, everything felt right, like this was exactly where she was supposed to be.

The next morning, Maya woke up in a tangle of sheets and regret. The memories of the night before were hazy, fragmented, but the feeling of Sebastian’s lips on hers, his touch, was seared into her mind.

She found Sebastian sitting at the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. He looked up as she stirred, his face a mix of guilt and something she couldn’t quite place.

“Maya…about last night…”

She cut him off, her voice shaky. “Let’s not talk about it. It was a mistake, Seb. We were drunk. We weren’t thinking.”

He nodded slowly, relief washing over his features. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ll just forget it happened.”

And they did. Or at least, they tried to. But as they packed up their lives and moved on, the memory of that night lingered, like a script with an unfinished ending. An ending neither of them was ready to face.