A Love Beyond the Chaos

Chapter 7: Running in Circles

The next few days passed in a strange haze, where everything felt off-kilter for Aiah. The rhythm she'd settled into with Mikha—the secret glances, the shared laughs, the unspoken connection—was suddenly out of sync. He was avoiding her. At first, she thought she was imagining it, that maybe she was being paranoid after their conversation about Denise. But as the days stretched into a week, it became painfully clear. Mikha wasn't just busy; he was actively avoiding her.

At work, Mikha kept his distance. During group meetings, he was professional, never rude, but there was an invisible wall between them now, a coolness that hadn't been there before. Gone were the playful texts during the day. Gone were the lingering looks across the office. And outside of work? Radio silence. No more late-night messages. No more impromptu plans. Just... nothing.

Aiah tried to convince herself it was just temporary, that maybe Mikha needed space after everything with Denise. But deep down, she knew it was more than that. He was pulling away, and she had no idea how to fix it.

---

It was Thursday afternoon when things finally started to unravel. Aiah was in the break room, pretending to focus on an article she wasn't reading, when Maloi and Sheena entered, chatting loudly about an upcoming work event. Aiah glanced up, her mind barely registering their words, until she heard Maloi say something that made her freeze.

"So, is it just me, or has Mikha been acting super weird lately?"

Sheena frowned, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "I thought it was just me who noticed. He's been really quiet this week. Did something happen?"

Maloi shrugged, leaning against the counter. "I don't know. But he's been dodging everyone. And he's definitely been avoiding Aiah."

Aiah's heart sank. She hadn't realized it was that obvious. She kept her eyes on the article in front of her, pretending she hadn't heard them.

"Do you think it's because of Denise?" Sheena asked, her tone a little too casual.

Aiah felt her pulse quicken.

Maloi's eyes widened. "Oh my god, totally forgot about Denise. She was hanging around last week, wasn't she? Do you think they're getting back together?"

"No way," Sheena said, shaking her head. "Mikha's smarter than that. Plus, I heard he's been into someone else lately."

Aiah's stomach flipped. She forced herself to keep her expression neutral, but the conversation felt like a ticking time bomb, each word bringing her closer to an inevitable explosion.

"Well, whoever it is, they're not doing a very good job if he's this miserable," Maloi said with a laugh. "I mean, he's been a total ghost. I haven't seen him this quiet in ages."

Sheena nodded in agreement. "Maybe we should ask him about it."

"No," Aiah said before she could stop herself. The word came out sharper than she intended, and both Maloi and Sheena turned to look at her in surprise. Aiah quickly forced a smile, trying to recover. "I just mean... maybe it's nothing. He could be dealing with work stuff or something."

Maloi raised an eyebrow. "You seem awfully concerned."

Aiah shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "I just think it's better to let people come to you when they're ready to talk."

Sheena narrowed her eyes slightly, as if trying to piece something together, but thankfully, Maloi let the subject drop, turning the conversation back to the work event. Aiah stayed quiet, her mind racing. They were starting to notice, all of them. And it was only a matter of time before someone figured out the truth.