𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 | 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲

𝐓 𝐖 𝐄 𝐍 𝐓 𝐘 - 𝐓 𝐇 𝐑 𝐄 𝐄

Camden

I pulled into the school parking lot with a pit in my stomach, gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. The morning sun was already up, casting long shadows across the pavement, but all I could focus on was the last text I got from Sofia last night.

"I'm using my own car from now on."

That was all she'd said. No explanation, no elaboration. Just a single sentence that hit me like a punch to the gut. I'd been giving her rides to school for months, and suddenly, out of nowhere, she wanted to drive herself? If that didn't scream that something had changed between us, I didn't know what did.

Three days. Three whole days of radio silence, and now this.

I couldn't help the way my heart clenched at the thought of her. Sofia had been on my mind constantly since the diner, since that moment when everything shifted between us. The blush on her face, the way she leaned into me, the electricity in the air every time our eyes met, it wasn't something I could shake. And I was pretty sure she couldn't either.

But now? Now she was avoiding me. And I had no idea what to expect when I saw her today. Would she act like nothing happened? Would she brush me off? I didn't even know if I wanted to face her or if I was too much of a coward to handle whatever was coming.

I sighed, stepping out of the car and slinging my soccer bag over my shoulder. I couldn't think about this right now. I had practice, and with the big game coming up on Friday, I had to be on my A-game. The last thing I needed was to be distracted by all these feelings.

As I made my way toward the basketball court that's outside, the familiar sounds of students chattering and lockers slamming echoed through the halls. But my focus was already slipping. Every time I turned a corner, I half expected to see Sofia, and my stomach flipped with both dread and anticipation at the thought. What would I even say if I ran into her? How could I possibly explain everything that had been running through my mind since that night?

But Sofia wasn't anywhere in sight. By the time I reached the basketball court, I hadn't seen her once, which was probably a good thing. I needed to clear my head before I saw her.

"Hey, Cam!" Noah's voice called out from the court as I dropped my bag on the grass and started warming up.

I waved back, forcing a smile even though I didn't really feel it. Noah was already tossing a basketball from one hand to the other, looking completely at ease. He was one of the few people who knew everything, about Sofia, about the plan to make Mateo jealous, about how I'd ended up falling for her in the process.

"Ready to get your head in the game?" he asked with a grin, spinning the ball on his finger.

"Trying." I muttered, stretching my arms and rolling my shoulders to loosen up. "I've got a lot on my mind."

Noah raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing the tension in my voice. "You're thinking about Sofia, aren't you?"

I didn't bother denying it. He knew me too well. "Yeah. It's been three days, Noah. And she sent me this text last night saying she's driving herself to school from now on."

"Yikes." he winced, tossing the ball into the air before catching it smoothly. "That doesn't sound good."

"Tell me about it." I grumbled, walking over to grab a ball for practice. "I feel like I've messed everything up. I don't even know how it got this complicated. It was just supposed to be fake, you know? But now... I don't know. I think I'm in love with her, no I know I'm in love with her."

Noah stopped dribbling the ball and stared at me for a long moment, his expression softening. "Cam, that's... that's a lot. I mean, I knew you had a crush on her, but love?"

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Yeah. I think it's been love for a while, but I just didn't realize it. And now she's ignoring me. She won't even talk to me, and I have no idea what's going on in her head."

Noah dribbled the ball a couple of times, his gaze thoughtful. "Have you tried talking to her? Like, really talking to her?"

I let out a frustrated sigh, bouncing the soccer ball between my hands. "How can I talk to her when she's avoiding me? She's driving herself to school, avoiding eye contact, everything. I feel like I've lost her before I even had the chance to figure out what this is between us."

Noah's expression softened, and he stepped closer, leaning against the fence that surrounded the court. "Cam, listen. I know this is hard, but you can't give up that easily. Sofia's probably just as confused as you are. She's feeling something too, clearly. That's why she's pulling away. People don't ignore each other unless they're trying to sort out their own feelings."

I nodded slowly, letting his words sink in. Maybe Noah was right. Maybe Sofia needed time to figure out what she was feeling. But the silence was killing me, and I wasn't sure how long I could wait.

"Just be patient." Noah continued, his tone gentle. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but sometimes people need space. Give her that, but don't close the door on her. When she's ready, she'll come to you. And when she does, you need to be honest. Tell her how you feel."

I exhaled slowly, the weight of his advice settling over me. He was right. I couldn't force Sofia to talk to me if she wasn't ready. But that didn't mean I had to give up. I could be patient. I could wait for her to come to me when she was ready.

"Thanks, Noah." I said, offering him a small smile. "I appreciate it."

Noah grinned, patting me on the back. "Anytime. Now come on, we've got a game to prepare for, and you need to stop stressing about girls for at least an hour."

I laughed, feeling a little lighter than before. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get to work."

We spent the next hour running drills and preparing for the big game on Friday, my focus slowly shifting away from Sofia and back to the field. It felt good to get out of my head for a while, to just move and breathe and let my body take over.

But even as I trained, a part of me couldn't stop thinking about what Noah had said. Maybe there was hope. Maybe Sofia just needed some time to figure things out.

And when she was ready, I'd be there. Ready to tell her everything.

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~ R