Far Yet Forever

Chapter 10

"Sometimes the past knocks on your door, not to stay, but to remind you why you closed it in the first place."

The next morning, my phone buzzed with a message. It wasn’t from Aarin, though. It was from my ex again. I had half-expected him to disappear after his confession about his struggles, but instead, here he was, sending me something I didn’t anticipate.

“I need to see you.”

I froze. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure how to respond. See me? Why now? After all this time, what could possibly be left for us to talk about in person?

I stared at the message for a while, my mind racing through the possibilities. Part of me was tempted, that old curiosity creeping in—what could he want? Did he miss me? Or was he trying to pull me back into something I had fought so hard to get away from?

As I debated my response, Aarin texted me at the same moment, his usual lightheartedness jumping through the screen.

“Good morning! Hope today’s better than yesterday :)”

For a moment, it felt like I was standing at a crossroads—one road leading me back to my past, the other leading toward whatever was growing between Aarin and me. The pull between those two paths was overwhelming.

Against my better judgment, I replied to my ex. “Why do you want to see me?”

His answer came swiftly, almost as if he had been waiting for me to cave. “There’s a lot I need to tell you, and I can’t say it over text. We need to talk about us.”

Us. The word felt foreign now, like it belonged to a different version of me—one I wasn’t sure I wanted to revisit. Yet, something in me couldn’t fully shut the door. The unresolved emotions, the tangled history, it all lingered beneath the surface.

I took a deep breath and typed back. “I’m not sure seeing each other is a good idea.”

Before I could dwell on it further, another message from Aarin lit up my screen. This time, his words were different. Direct. Vulnerable.

“Can I be honest with you? I’ve been holding back because I didn’t want to scare you off, but... I think I’m starting to fall for you. And I don’t know what to do about it.”

I stared at his message, my heart skipping a beat. It was as if the universe had decided to throw everything at me at once, testing how much I could handle.

I hadn’t expected that. Not from Aarin. We had never crossed that line before, always keeping things light, playful, and safe. And now, he had just laid his feelings out there, raw and exposed.

I didn’t know what to feel. His words sent a surge of warmth through me, but at the same time, I felt the weight of my ex’s message pressing down on me. Two very different people, two very different paths. One part of my life was trying to pull me back in, while another was offering something new, something that scared and excited me in equal measure.

I closed my eyes, letting the enormity of the moment sink in. One thing was clear: my life was about to change, and I had no idea where it was going to lead.

Aarin’s confession hung in the air, every word from his text echoing in my mind: “I think I’m starting to fall for you.” My heart raced, torn between the rawness of his honesty and the gnawing curiosity that had resurfaced with my ex.

I stared at my phone for what felt like an eternity. Aarin had always been a steady presence in my life, someone I could rely on, someone who made me feel safe. But now? Now there was this complication—a feeling that maybe we could be something more. Yet, I wasn’t sure. I had to be certain.

My fingers hesitated over the keyboard before I finally typed: “We never really know ourselves fully, let alone each other, Aarin. I’m not sure where things stand right now. But thank you for being honest.” I hit send, hoping he’d understand, even though I wasn’t sure I did.

I didn’t give myself time to second-guess the message before switching apps, opening the chat with my ex. My decision was impulsive, but it felt like something I had to do—closure, maybe, or curiosity. Either way, I needed answers.

“I’ll meet you. Where?” I typed, my chest tightening as I hit send.

His response was quick. “Same café near your dorm. I’ll be there in 30.”

I didn’t even take a second to think before getting dressed and grabbing my keys. As I left my dorm room, I couldn’t stop my mind from racing. Why was I doing this? Why was I meeting him, knowing how much he had hurt me? Part of me hoped this would be the end of that chapter of my life, that seeing him would remind me why I’d moved on.

But deep down, there was another part of me—one I didn’t want to acknowledge—that wondered if maybe, just maybe, there was still something unresolved between us. Something I hadn’t fully let go of.

As I made my way to the café, I checked my phone again. No new messages from Aarin, but my stomach churned with guilt. I didn’t want to leave things in such uncertainty with him, especially after he had opened up. But I needed to clear my head, and right now, that meant facing my past.

When I finally arrived at the café, my ex was already there, sitting at a corner table. He looked... different. More tired, more worn, as if life had chipped away at him in ways I hadn’t expected. It was unsettling to see him like this, vulnerable in a way he had never been when we were together.

I took a deep breath and approached the table, unsure of what I was about to walk into.