Beneath The Surface

Chapter 14: Torn Between Two

The coffee shop meeting with Ethan had left Ava in a daze. As she walked home under the fading evening light, her mind raced. Ethan's apology had stirred old feelings, reopening wounds she thought were long healed. But what did it all mean? Did he genuinely regret what happened between them, or was this just another moment of confusion in her already tangled love life?

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a message from Lucas.

**Lucas**: *Hey, I've been thinking. Can we talk?*

Ava's heart clenched. The last conversation they had was still fresh in her mind. Lucas had been frustrated, almost pleading with her to let him in, to stop hiding behind the mask she wore every day. She wanted to—she really did—but it wasn't that easy. She hadn't even responded to his last message, too afraid of what he might say or do if she revealed her true self.

Now, standing at the crossroads of her feelings, Ava didn't know what to do. The attention from Ethan reignited her old desires, the ones that longed for the popular boy to validate her. But Lucas... Lucas had been steady, patient, and understanding. He saw something in her that no one else did, but would he still feel that way if she stopped hiding?

She stuffed her phone back into her pocket, unable to respond to either of them just yet. Her feet took her to the nearby park, where she often went to clear her head. The air was cool, and the rustling of leaves brought some temporary peace to her cluttered mind.

Sitting on a bench, Ava replayed the events of the past few months. Her relationship with Lucas had grown closer, but she always held back. She kept him at arm's length, afraid that if he saw her without the layers of makeup, without the confidence she faked, he would walk away like so many others had before.

But then there was Ethan—the boy who had been the object of her affection for so long. And now, just when she thought she had moved on, he came back with a heartfelt apology and words she had waited years to hear.

Her phone buzzed again. This time, it was a call—from Lucas.

Ava stared at the screen, her fingers trembling as she considered whether to answer. Her thoughts were a mess, swirling between the comfort of Lucas's steady love and the thrill of Ethan's unexpected attention.

She let the phone ring until it went to voicemail.

What was she doing? Ava buried her face in her hands, the weight of her indecision pressing down on her. It wasn't fair to Lucas. It wasn't fair to herself. But still, she hesitated, unable to choose between the boy who had always been there for her and the boy she had dreamed of for years.

For the first time in a long while, Ava wasn't sure if she could keep juggling the two sides of her life. The makeup she wore had always given her strength, but now, it felt like a mask that kept her from truly living. How long could she keep pretending? How long could she keep hiding?

As the sun set behind the park's trees, Ava knew that sooner or later, she would have to make a choice.