The Silence Between Us

The first moments

                       -- 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣'𝙨 𝙋𝙊𝙑 --

I step back, trying to steady myself, feeling like my heart might explode if I don’t.

As we both put distance between us, the air grows thick with awkwardness. We exchange a quick glance, but then both avoid eye contact, as if the moment we shared was something we weren’t supposed to. It shouldn’t be this awkward, but somehow, it is.

Without another word, we return to our seats, trying to pick up where we left off, but there’s a shift—like the atmosphere has been subtly altered. I’ve never been this close to a girl before, and it’s throwing me off more than I care to admit. We force ourselves back into the conversation, and after a few minutes, things finally feel normal again. Hours pass, and before we know it, the evening is settling in.

“It’s getting dark. We should leave, I guess,” she says, breaking the lull.

“Yeah, let’s call it a day. We’ll meet tomorrow to continue,” I reply.

“Okay,” she nods.

We head toward the parking lot, parting ways to find our cars. I climb into mine, not expecting a goodbye this time. But as I drive out of the lot, I notice she’s still there, not moving. My instinct tells me to mind my own business, but lately, I’ve been doing the opposite of what I think I should.

I park and walk back to her. She’s standing beside her car, frustration etched on her face.

“What happened?” I ask.

She sighs, running a hand through her hair. “It’s my luck today—my car won’t start. I think it’s a battery issue or something with the engine. It’s just dead.”

I look at her, unable to resist the pull of doing something I probably shouldn’t. “Let me drive you home.”

She hesitates. “It’s fine, really. I’ll just get a cab. It’s late anyway.”

I know I should leave it at that, but instead, I say, “I insist. It’s late, and I don’t want you waiting around.”

She looks at me, slightly unsure. “Are you sure?”

“As sure as I am about how much I hate this, but yeah, I still want to drop you.”

She laughs softly, rolling her eyes. “Okay, fine. Let’s go.”

We both walk towards my car, and as we reach it, we climb in and settle into our seats.

“Nice car,” she says, her voice light but with a hint of curiosity.

“Thanks,” I reply, trying to keep my tone casual.

“Yeah,” she responds, trailing off.

The silence between us grows thick and uncomfortable. She tries to fill it, but it falls flat. Eventually, she gives up and turns to stare out of the window after telling me her address. I sneak a glance at her—she looks... pretty. No, wait. I’m not supposed to think that. She isn’t pretty, not to me at least. I must be losing it.

I can’t understand why I’m not hating her like I used to. I don’t even know if I still hate her, or if I just don’t like her. Whatever I used to feel, it’s not the same anymore. Maybe it’s because I opened up to her. Damn it, I shouldn’t have.

She looks at me, her face tinged with confusion.

“Are you okay?” she asks, her voice soft.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I reply, trying to sound unfazed.

“I don’t know, you just seemed tense—like you were struggling with something,” she says, her concern evident.

“What? Struggling? Me? No way, I was just thinking about the project… nothing else,” I say, brushing it off.