the IT girl

After the Sunset

The warm glow of the Brazilian sunset stayed with Lily long after she had left the café. As she walked back to her hotel, her thoughts kept drifting to Lando—the way he had smiled at her, the easy way they had talked, and the openness he had shown her. She hadn't expected the conversation to go as smoothly as it had, and now, as she replayed their time together, she couldn't help but wonder if she had been wrong to push him away in the first place.

Lily reached her hotel room, feeling the quiet stillness wash over her. She dropped her purse on the bed and kicked off her sandals, collapsing into the soft comfort of the covers. Staring at the ceiling, she let her mind wander.

What just happened?

She had been so guarded, so certain that opening herself up to anyone—let alone Lando—was too risky. But now, she felt something different. Lando wasn't just some random guy who had shown interest. He was genuine, patient, and understanding. He had listened to her, never pushing for more than she was ready to give.

And that scared her.

Lily grabbed her phone and opened Instagram. She hadn't posted anything from Brazil yet, but she scrolled through her photos, her thumb hesitating on one of the beach, taken just before her coffee with Lando. The waves had been gentle, the sky a perfect blue, and for a moment, she had felt at peace. Now, looking at it again, she realized how much the day had affected her.

Before she could overthink it, she posted the picture with a simple caption: Sunsets and new beginnings.

It wasn't much, but it felt like a step. As she set her phone aside, her thoughts once again drifted to Lando. What was he doing right now? Was he thinking about their conversation too? She couldn't deny the way her heart had fluttered when he'd looked at her, the way his eyes had softened when she had opened up about her past.

I'm not ready, she reminded herself, but even as she thought it, she knew she was starting to waver. The truth was, she liked Lando. She liked the way he made her feel, like she could be herself without having to put up walls or pretend to be stronger than she was.

A knock at the door startled her, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was Mia, grinning as she walked in without waiting for an invitation.

"So... how did it go?" Mia asked, plopping down on the bed next to Lily.

Lily groaned, burying her face in the pillow. "Why do you always have to know everything?"

"Because I'm your best friend, duh," Mia said with a laugh. "Come on, spill. You've been glowing ever since you got back. What happened?"

Lily turned over, looking at the ceiling again. "It was nice. Really nice. We talked about a lot of things... and it felt different. He's different."

Mia raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Different how?"

Lily hesitated, searching for the right words. "I don't know... he didn't push me. He didn't try to convince me to change my mind or anything. He just listened, and it felt... safe. Like I didn't have to put up a front with him."

Mia's expression softened. "That's good, Lil. That's really good. It sounds like he respects your boundaries, and that's huge."

Lily nodded, her thoughts swirling. "Yeah, it is. But at the same time... I'm still scared, Mia. What if this ends badly? What if I end up getting hurt again?"

Mia took a deep breath, sitting up slightly. "Look, I get it. You've been through a lot, and it's totally okay to be cautious. But you can't live your life in fear of what might go wrong. What if this time, things go right?"

Lily bit her lip, Mia's words sinking in. It was true—she had spent so much time avoiding anything that might hurt her, but in doing so, she had also closed herself off from anything that could make her happy.

"I don't know, Mia," Lily said softly. "I just... I need more time."

Mia smiled knowingly. "Take all the time you need. But don't shut him out just because you're scared. You deserve to be happy, Lil."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Mia stood up, stretching. "Alright, I'm going to head to the pool. You coming?"

Lily shook her head. "I think I'm just going to stay in and rest. It's been a long day."

"Suit yourself," Mia said with a wink. "But don't stay locked in here all night. You need to live a little."

Lily laughed as Mia left, her friend's words lingering in her mind. As she settled into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin, she allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to let her guard down—to really give Lando a chance. Could she do it? Could she open her heart again?

As sleep slowly overtook her, one thing was clear—Lando wasn't going to be easy to forget.