Unfinished Business

Chapter 5: The Distance Between Us

The days seemed to blur together after Que came back into Lena's life. They were tryin' to make it work, but the space between them felt bigger than ever. Que was there—helpin' out, makin' sure she had what she needed—but it wasn't the same. Their conversations were short, mostly about the baby or her health. They weren't talkin' about the real stuff, the stuff that was weighin' on Lena's heart.

She sat on her couch, her hand resting on her belly as she stared at her phone. The last time they'd been together, everything felt normal. Now, she wasn't sure if they were just co-parentin' or if there was still a chance for somethin' more between them. And the longer they danced around the truth, the more the past came back to haunt her.

Flashbacks Keep Comin'

No matter how hard she tried to push it down, the memory of that night at the party kept sneakin' back into her mind. The way Que had his arms around that girl, the way he kissed her neck like Lena never even existed—it hurt like hell. She couldn't stop wonderin' if that was his way of movin' on, if she'd been right to think they were done for good.

She thought about bringin' it up, askin' him if that girl had meant somethin', but every time she started to, her words got stuck in her throat. She was too scared to hear the truth. Too scared that Que had already moved on emotionally, even if he was still physically there for the baby.

Que's Return

Later that evening, Que showed up at her door, knockin' softly before lettin' himself in. He'd been comin' by more and more lately, tryna be around for her appointments and makin' sure Lena wasn't feelin' alone. But the energy between them was still off, and it was gettin' harder to ignore.

"You good?" he asked, walkin' into the living room, his eyes lookin' over her like he could tell somethin' was off.

"Yeah," she mumbled, her eyes glued to the TV, even though she wasn't watchin' it.

Que sat down next to her, the space between them feelin' too big for the small couch. He didn't say much at first, just sat there, the silence growin' thicker by the second.

"You sure?" he asked again, his voice softer this time.

Lena sighed, feelin' the weight of all the unsaid things between them. "I'm fine, Que. Just... tired."

Que nodded, but he didn't look convinced. "You wanna talk 'bout somethin'? You look like you got somethin' on your mind."

She hesitated, her heart poundin'. Maybe it was time to stop avoidin' it, time to talk about what was really botherin' her. But she didn't know if she could handle his answer. She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear that he'd moved on, even if part of her thought that might be the case.

Finally, she turned to him, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why'd you do it, Que?"

Que frowned, confusion flashin' across his face. "Do what?"

"At the party. You was with that girl. You know what I'm talkin' about."

Que's face dropped, his body stiffenin' at her words. He hadn't expected that. For a moment, he didn't say nothin', just sat there starin' at the floor.

Lena felt her heart race as the silence dragged on. "It's been on my mind, Que. I walked in, and I saw you with her. Y'all was hugged up like I didn't exist. Like you was over me just like that."

Que finally sighed, leanin' back against the couch. "It wasn't like that, Lena."

"Then what was it like?" she asked, her voice crackin'. "'Cause it sure looked like you moved on fast."

Que rubbed his hands together, tryin' to find the right words. "I was mad, Lena. You left me. I ain't know what to do, so yeah, I went to that party, and I ain't gon' lie, I was tryna forget you for a minute. I was hurt."

Lena stared at him, her eyes fillin' with tears. "So that's how you deal with bein' hurt? You just go grab up the next girl you see?"

"Nah, it wasn't like that. I wasn't thinkin' straight, okay? You broke up with me, and I was tryna act like I ain't care, but I did. I do."

Lena looked away, the tears spillin' over now. "It still hurt, Que. You actin' like I ain't matter. Like what we had ain't matter."

Que reached for her hand, his grip gentle. "Lena, what we had always mattered. You matter. I just didn't know how to handle losin' you, so I did somethin' stupid."

Lena wiped her tears, her chest heavin' as she tried to calm herself down. She didn't know if that was enough. She didn't know if hearin' him admit his mistake would take away the hurt she felt. But it was a start.

"I ain't tryin' to hurt you," Que said softly. "I never wanted to hurt you, Lena."

Lena looked at him, her voice shaky. "You already did."

The Talk They Needed

For the first time since he came back, they had the talk they needed. It wasn't perfect, and it didn't fix everything, but at least it was out in the open. Que had messed up, and Lena was still hurt. But they both knew there was still somethin' there, somethin' that hadn't disappeared just because things got hard.

"I don't know if we can fix this," Lena whispered, her heart heavy. "There's so much between us now."

Que nodded, his expression serious. "I know. But I'm here, Lena. I'm not goin' nowhere."

They sat in silence for a while, the weight of their situation settlin' in. Lena knew they had a long way to go, and maybe they'd never get back to what they were. But for now, Que was there, and that was enough.

Uncertain Future

As the weeks passed, Lena and Que kept movin' forward, takin' things one day at a time. They had agreed to focus on the baby first, to figure out co-parentin' before they tried to figure out their relationship. It wasn't easy, but it was somethin'.

Lena tried to keep her mind on school and the baby, but no matter what, Que was always there, lingerin' in her thoughts. The love she had for him was still there, buried under all the hurt and confusion, and she wasn't sure if it would ever fully go away.

But one thing was certain—no matter what happened between them, they were bound together now. And whether that was a blessing or a curse, only time would tell.