Unexpected Love

【X】【I】【I】【I】

After months...

(Malia's version)

Los Angeles was different from any other place I had ever been. The air was full of promises and possibilities, but also of a feeling of vertigo, as if I were on the verge of something that could change everything. Maybe it was just the anxiety of knowing that I was about to see Kylie again after so many months. After all the silence. After our breakup.

I wasn't sure what I was doing there. Maybe it was a desperate urge to feel again what we used to have, or maybe I just needed answers. Since she left that day on the cruise, things between us got more complicated. In the beginning, we exchanged messages every day, promising that nothing would change. But little by little, distance and time began to separate us. Calls have become less frequent, and messages have become more and more spaced. Until, one day, they completely stood.

I still remembered the last conversation we had. She was busy, stressed about college, and I was feeling the pressure of my work and my own life. The words were misinterpreted, the tone became acid, and then, we finished. Or maybe it would be better to say that we let things die little by little, until there is nothing left but silence. I felt such a deep emptiness that I thought I could never fill it again.

But now I was there, in her city, in her college, without even being sure if she wanted to see me.

**.. **

I arrived at the UCLA campus with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Ruby had helped me with the location. She was always in favor of me coming, even after the breakup. She said that Kylie still talked about me from time to time, even if not directly. And that gave me a spark of hope, small, but enough to make me take a plane and cross the country.

The campus was busy, with students walking from one side to the other, arguing with each other, laughing, carrying books. I felt out of place, an intruder in this universe that Kylie now called home. My heart was beating fast, and I wondered if I hadn't made a big mistake.

Ruby told me that Kylie had a literature class in that building right in front. I decided to wait for her outside, near a fountain where many students were sitting, enjoying the heat of the sun. Every second seemed like an eternity. The doubt hammered in my mind - what if she had moved on? What if she didn't want to see me anymore?

Finally, I saw her leaving through the front door of the building, with a backpack hanging on her shoulder and some books in her hands. For a moment, I just stood there, looking at her. Kylie was as beautiful as I remembered, maybe even more. Her hair was shorter now, and she looked more confident, more mature. My heart jumped.

I took a deep breath and started walking towards him.

When I was close enough, I called your name.

•Malia: Kylie!

She stopped, turning in my direction, and for a second her eyes met mine. I could see the surprise, then something like uncertainty. She stood still, as if she was trying to understand if I was real or just a vision of her imagination.

•Kylie: Malia? - she finally answered, with a trembling voice. - What are you doing here?

I gave a shy smile, trying to hide the nervousness that took over me.

•Malia: I... I needed to see you. I needed to talk to you.

She blinked a few times, as if trying to process my words. She looked around, looking a little uncomfortable with people passing by, watching us. So, she nodded.

•Kylie: All right. Shall we go to a quieter place? - she suggested, pointing to a more remote area, where there were some trees and benches.

We walked in silence there, each one lost in their own thoughts. When we finally sat down, I felt the weight of all the words I needed to say, but I didn't know where to start.

•Malia: I know I showed up without warning, and I'm sorry about that. - I started, nervously moving my hands. - But I needed to see you. I needed to understand what happened between us.

Kylie sighed, her eyes fixed on the floor for a moment before staring at me.

•Kylie: Malia, I... I'm sorry too. Things just got out of control. - She paused, as if she was carefully choosing her words. - I think the distance, the time... everything mixed up. And I didn't know how to deal with it.

I felt a tightness in my chest, but I continued.

•Malia: I know. Neither do I. But I haven't stopped thinking about you, Kylie. Not even for a second. And that brought me here.

She seemed surprised by my sincerity. Her eyes softened, and for a moment, I saw the same Kylie I met on that cruise, full of tenderness.

•Kylie: I also thought a lot about you, Malia. More than I would like to admit. - She gave a sad smile. - But... what does that mean? What do you expect to find here?

I hesitated. The truth was that I didn't have all the answers. I just knew that I missed her, that I missed us. But was it enough?

•Malia: I don't know, Kylie. - I admitted, my voice is low.

- I just... want to know if there's still a chance for us. If you feel the same as me.

She was silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on mine, as if she was trying to read something in me. Then, she took a deep breath.

•Kylie: I... feel a lot, Malia. I never stopped loving you, that's true. But I also feel fear.

Fear that we will get hurt again, that we won't be able to overcome what separated us before.

I extended my hand, lightly touching hers, feeling the familiar warmth that I missed so much.

•Malia: Maybe we can find out together.
Slowly, in no hurry. - I whispered, trying to hold back my tears.

She smiled, a smile that carried both relief and hesitation.

•Kylie: Maybe we can... - she murmured, her fingers gently squeezing mine.

We stayed there, on that bench under the trees, just looking at each other, feeling that maybe, just maybe, that was a new beginning.