𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 | 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲

𝐓 𝐇 𝐈 𝐑 𝐓 𝐘 - 𝐒 𝐈 𝐗

Camden

I stare down at my phone, frowning at the message lighting up my screen. Meet me at the park at midnight. Sofia's name hovers above those words, and I can't help but feel... confused. Like, majorly confused. We haven't been talking as much lately, not since everything changed between us, not since I confessed how I felt about her. Things have been weird, distant. She's dating Mateo, and I... well, I'm still trying to figure things out with Sage. But this message? It's so out of nowhere. Midnight? The park? Why?

With a sigh, I send her a thumbs-up emoji, my mind spinning with questions I don't have answers to. Why does she want to meet so late? And why the park? It's not like her to be this... cryptic. But part of me, maybe the part that's always hoped she'd come around, can't ignore her. Not when it's her.

Quietly, I slip out of bed, glad my parents are already asleep. The last thing I want is a hundred questions about where I'm going at this hour. I don't have the answers myself. I grab my jacket, pull on some shoes, and tiptoe out the door, my heart racing in a way that feels all too familiar when it comes to Sofia.

As I start the car and make my way to the park, I can't help but think about Sage. I like her. Our date was good, great, even. She's everything I should want. She's funny, confident, easy to be around. But it's like there's a part of me still stuck on Sofia, a part that never really moved on, even after everything. The whole time with Sage, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Maybe it's unfair to compare, but the truth is, my heart is tangled up in this mess with Sofia. And no matter how much I try to sort through it, it only seems to get more complicated.

Pulling into the park, I spot Sofia's car right away, her figure hunched over on one of the benches. She's sitting there, her face hidden under the hood of a black hoodie, her entire outfit dark and... honestly, it's kind of unsettling. I don't think I've ever seen her like this, looking almost like a shadow of herself.

Taking a deep breath, I get out of the car and walk over, feeling an awkward tension knotting in my chest. "Hey." I say, sliding onto the bench beside her, trying to keep my voice steady. But up close, I can see something's wrong. Really wrong. Her face looks pale and drawn, her eyes tired and shadowed, like she hasn't slept in days.

I can't help it. I'm worried. "Sofia... why are we meeting here, at midnight?" My voice is softer than I intended, and for a moment, she just sits there in silence, staring out into the dark.

Finally, she takes a deep breath and says, "I can't explain everything to you... not yet."

Her words make my stomach twist. Not yet? "What does that even mean?" I ask, feeling the frustration creep into my voice. "What's going on, Sofia?"

She sighs, her shoulders slumping as if the weight of the world is pressing down on her. "I just... I need you to wait. Please. Don't go and date Sage, okay? Just... give me time. I promise, I'll explain everything. I just... I can't right now."

The look in her eyes is tearing me apart. It's like she's begging me, silently, to understand something that's way beyond my grasp. And it's killing me. I want to help her, to take away whatever it is that's hurting her, but I have no idea how.

"Sofia, what the hell is going on?" I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

She gives me this small, sad smile, and it's like there's a million words she wants to say but can't. "I was dumb." she whispers, almost as if to herself.

I open my mouth, ready to push for more, to get some kind of answer, but she cuts me off before I can say anything. "Just... trust me, Camden. I'll tell you everything once I... once I figure it out."

Before I can respond, she stands up from the bench, and I find myself following her, like a magnet drawn to her pull. She wraps her arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug that feels both comforting and heartbreaking. It's like she's holding on to something she's afraid to lose.

I hug her back, my arms instinctively tightening around her. I'm still so confused, but right now, I just want to be here for her, to let her know I'm not going anywhere, even though I don't understand what's happening.

And then, to my surprise, she stands on her tiptoes and presses a soft kiss to my cheek. "I love you, Camden." she whispers, so quietly I almost don't hear it. Before I can even react, she's pulling away, her face hidden under her hood as she turns and walks back to her car, leaving me standing there, frozen.

I can only watch as she gets into her car and drives away, disappearing into the night like some kind of ghost. And I'm left standing in the park, my mind racing with everything that just happened, every word she said, every unspoken feeling hanging in the air.

I love you.

The words echo in my mind, and I feel this strange, aching pain in my chest, like I'm drowning in emotions I don't know how to handle. I want to believe her, to believe that whatever's going on, it'll work itself out. But the mystery, the secrecy, it's all making me question everything. And yet... when I think about her, the way she looked at me, the way she held onto me like I was her lifeline... I know I'd wait as long as it takes.

But as I get back into my car, my head swirling with confusion and emotions, I can't stop thinking about one thing: why did she ask me to wait? And what could possibly be holding her back from telling me the truth?

All I know is that I can't get her out of my mind.

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~ R