Shades of Desire

Ivy

Ivy rushed into the dorm, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves after the night's events. But as soon as she walked in, her heart sank. Mia was sitting on the floor, surrounded by textbooks and crumpled papers, looking like she had just lost a battle.

"What's wrong, Mia?" Ivy asked, dropping her bag by the door and rushing over.

Mia looked up, her eyes red and puffy. "It's Carter," she said, voice shaky. "He wants to break up."

Ivy's stomach twisted. "What? Why? I thought things were good between you two!"

Mia shook her head, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I thought so too, but he says he needs space. I don't get it. What did I do wrong?" Her voice cracked, and Ivy could see how much it hurt her.

Ivy knelt beside her, wrapping an arm around Mia's shoulders. "You didn't do anything wrong. Sometimes guys just freak out for no reason. Maybe it's not about you at all."

Mia let out a shaky breath. "I don't know, Ivy. It just feels like everything is falling apart."

Ivy wanted to say something reassuring, but her mind kept wandering back to Jace—his face, that night they shared, and how he hadn't even acknowledged her. She shook her head, trying to push it away. "What did Carter say exactly?" she asked, focusing back on Mia.

Mia wiped her eyes and grabbed her phone. "He sent me a message earlier, saying he needs time to think. I don't know if I should reach out or just give him space."

Ivy felt a pang of frustration for her friend. "You deserve to know what's going on. Why don't you text him and ask?"

Mia hesitated, biting her lip. "Yeah, maybe. But what if he doesn't respond?"

Just then, Ivy's phone buzzed. It was a message from Ethan checking in. "Hey, is everything okay?"

She replied, "Yeah, everything is fine, thanks for asking."

Ethan's next message popped up: "When do you want to meet up next?"

Ivy felt a flutter in her stomach but quickly shoved it aside. "I'll let you know," she typed back, feeling guilty that she couldn't stop thinking about Jace.

Mia glanced at Ivy's phone. "You and Ethan seem to be getting closer. Is it serious?"

Ivy shrugged, the weight of her thoughts about Jace still heavy on her mind. "I guess? I mean, it's nice. But...." She paused, biting her lip.

Mia looked at her, curious. "But what?"

"It's just... complicated," Ivy said, her mind racing back to Jace's eyes, the way he had looked at her that night.

Mia sighed, leaning her head against Ivy's shoulder. "I just want things to be simple for once."

"Same here," Ivy replied, trying to keep her mind off Jace and focus on supporting her friend.