Before Her

Sumera's Pov

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Chapter 1:

Sumera

I never anticipated it would come to this, but here I am. This place feels different today—cold, empty.

Everything feels unfamiliar, and the one person I thought I could count on to bring it to life probably wants nothing to do with me. The gentle breeze brushes against my skin, and for a second, I feel her. Her warm hands patting my back, tracing soft shapes on my skin, her gentle voice talking me to sleep. Before her, I never had that kind of connection with anyone.

Have I dated other people? Of course. But none of them were her. Lord knows I wouldn’t have lived happily ever after with “Baby Dick Jason” or “Substitute Player Martin.” I’ve never even considered it. Things were different with Selena. And matching initials? Try convincing me we weren't soulmates.

We promised we’d get through senior year together—pinky promised. And as much as I want to be mad at her… I can’t. She’s all I can think about.

I want my girl back.

It’s been two days since the start of senior year, and a month since… the incident. A month without Selena. Thirty days. 720 hours. 43,200 minutes. 2,592,000 seconds… okay, you get the point.

As I walk through the crowded hallways, Gigi Perez blasts through my headphones. I spot her. My girl. Or at least, what was my girl. Everything comes rushing back—that night etched into my brain. I remember everything: every scent, every word spoken, every sight.

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{The Night of the Incident}

August 3rd, 2019

“Ew, you two are so cheesy,” Chelsea teases in a mock tone. She’s been my best friend since preschool. Now she’s sitting next to me and Selena on the bus.

“Okay, can everyone please take their seats? We’re about to head off,” Miss Ambrose says sternly. I’ve never been good with motion, and Selena knows that.

The bus starts moving, and I feel nauseous, dizzy. Selena reaches into her bag and pulls out a chocolate bar—my favorite. “This will help with the nausea,” she says, handing it over. I take a few bites, and it does help. She gives me a bottle of water, and soon enough, I start to feel better.

I rest my head on her shoulder and drift off. It feels right, here with her.

When I wake, it’s only been three hours of a fifteen-hour ride. Ugh, I’m already sick of this. I glance up and see the most beautiful sight: my Lena, my beautiful girl. Who knew someone could sleep so perfectly? I can’t help but kiss her cheek, which wakes her up. She’s a light sleeper.

“Oh, I’m sorry, love. Go back to sleep,” I whisper.

She leans over, kisses me on the forehead, and we both drift off again.

When we wake up, there are only two hours left. Finally.

We’ve arrived.

The moment we step off the bus, New York’s humid summer air wraps around us. Everyone is excited, loud, moving in every direction, but I feel heavy. It’s like the air is pressing down on me, forcing me to stay grounded in a way I don’t want to be.

Selena is holding my hand, talking about all the places we’re going to see together. She’s bright, and her energy usually pulls me in, but today, my mind is somewhere else. With him.

I glance down at my phone. A text. “Meet me at 7.” It’s from him.

I feel her gaze on me. “Everything okay?” she asks, squeezing my hand. Her eyes are soft, filled with that concern she always has when she looks at me, but this time, I can’t meet them for long.

“Yeah,” I say quickly. “Just tired.”

She doesn’t push. She never does. She trusts me.

Later, when the group is settling into the hotel, I make my excuse. "I need some air," I tell Selena. She offers to come with me, but I tell her no, that I need a moment alone.

That moment alone turns into me standing in front of a café, waiting. Then I see him. The pit in my stomach deepens.

“Long time, huh?” His voice is the same as it always was, like nothing had ever happened between us.

I don’t want to be here. But he’s family. And family, as much as you want to escape them sometimes, are always there. This meeting was inevitable.

The conversation is short. Stilted. He apologizes for what happened all those years ago, but I barely hear the words. I don’t want his apologies; I want the memories to disappear. But none of that matters right now. All that matters is that I promised Selena I wouldn’t see him again. And I broke that promise.

I leave without saying much, my hands shaking.

When I get back to the hotel room, Selena’s waiting for me. Her eyes search mine for answers, but I can’t give her any. She asks where I was, and I mumble something vague. She presses me, gently at first, but I freeze. I can’t talk about it.

“Sumera, what’s going on?” Her voice cracks. “You promised me.”

I swallow hard, knowing I’m breaking her heart, but the words just won’t come. My silence feels like a wall between us, growing higher by the second.

She stares at me for a long moment, her face falling with disappointment I’ve never seen before. “You… you can’t even tell me what happened?”

I want to tell her everything, but the words are stuck in my throat. All I manage is, “I’m sorry.”

Her expression hardens, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “That’s all you’re going to say?”

The space between us grows colder, heavier, as if the room itself is closing in on us. I can feel her slipping away, but I don’t know how to stop it.

She shakes her head, stepping back. “I can’t do this, Sumera. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t trust me enough to talk to me. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

And just like that, she’s gone.