Hearts in Bloom

Chapter 19

Tobias finished packing his last bag, the weight of everything he'd been avoiding finally starting to lift. Tomorrow, he and Jaxon would leave for university. He should've been excited, but his mind was still stuck on Aria—on everything that had happened six months ago. His fingers tightened around the strap of his bag, his thoughts wandering back to that day, the day he'd seen the worst thing imaginable—Aria and Lucas together. Her head nestled against him. The kiss on her forehead.

It had broken him.

But tonight, after all the time spent avoiding her and convincing himself that he needed to move on, something changed. He had just finished scrolling through the university's official group chat, doing his best to push through the thoughts of Aria, when something caught his eye.

He clicked on Lucas's profile instinctively. It wasn't like he was stalking him, but... he was. Tobias's stomach tightened as a post appeared on his screen.

Aria and Lucas stood side by side, both holding their scripts high, beaming with wide, effortless smiles. The photo was so familiar it felt like deja vu, the same clothes from that day. The day I walked in on them...

Tobias's pulse spiked. Same day.

The caption beneath the photo made his chest tighten:
"Practicing hard for the play! Don't want to mess up on stage!"

He scrolled down further and saw a video linked to the post. His finger hesitated, but something inside him urged him to click. The video played in front of him, and Tobias could only watch in disbelief. It was a rehearsal—Aria and Lucas performing their scene, their chemistry undeniable. But it wasn't what he thought. It was a scene. A play.

It wasn't real. The kiss wasn't real. The confusion—the pain—it wasn't real.

The kiss wasn't a confession. It wasn't a private moment between lovers. It was just a line in the script.

Tobias leaned back against the chair, his mind racing. He read through the comments, his fingers moving faster than he could think.

One comment read: "That forehead kiss was so natural! Are you both dating?"

Lucas replied, "Haha, no, just acting!"

Tobias felt something shift inside him. Just acting. It was acting. There was no love between them. The fear and heartache from six months ago—gone. Just like that.

He could breathe again.

He quickly checked the play's script, needing to know for sure. His heart skipped when he saw the description of Scene 5. "A heartfelt moment in Scene 5: The male lead comforts the female lead with a forehead kiss."

Tobias let out a long breath, a weight lifting off his shoulders. It was just acting. He hadn't been betrayed. He'd made a fool of himself. And now, he needed to fix this. He wasn't going to sit around anymore.

His phone clattered against the table as he jumped up. He ran out of his room, down the stairs, and into the living room, where Jaxon was lounging, looking completely relaxed. Tobias barely said a word before blurting it out.

"It wasn't what I thought, Jax. It wasn't real. Aria and Lucas—they're not together. That kiss—it wasn't real. I misread it all."

Jaxon blinked at him, clearly surprised by the sudden rush of information. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. You've been tripping over that for six months and now you're telling me it was a misunderstanding? Are you serious?"

Tobias ran his hand through his hair, pacing in front of Jaxon. "Yes! I thought they were together. I thought she chose him, and I backed off. I stayed away from her because of that kiss. I've been avoiding her—avoiding everything about her—because I thought... I thought she liked him and it would be better for me to back off." He paused, feeling the weight of his words. "But I was wrong, Jaxon. I was an idiot."

Jaxon threw his head back and laughed. "Bro, you've been stressing for half a year, and it's all over some acting? Man, if I'd known it was that easy, I would've told you six months ago."

Tobias grinned, shaking his head in disbelief. "I should've figured it out. But I... I just couldn't handle it. I couldn't imagine her being with someone else."

Jaxon's face softened, a knowing look in his eyes. "I get it. But now you know. So what's next? You gonna go and fix this?"

Tobias's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah. I'm not going to let this slip away again. I've wasted enough time."

Jaxon stood up, stretching as if preparing for battle. "Good. You've been running from her long enough. It's time you went and chased what you want, Tobias. You can't sit around being all mopey anymore. It's time to be a man about it."

Tobias nodded, his jaw tightening with determination. "I'm going to fix this, Jax. I'm going to make things right."

Jaxon smirked, clapping him on the back. "That's what I like to hear. Now, get out there and go get your girl."

Tobias didn't waste another second. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, the rush of adrenaline making his chest tighten in anticipation. He was finally going to do what he should've done six months ago. He wasn't going to let this chance slip away.

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