"I warned you once not to look back... But here you are, tempting me again to ruin your happily ever after with her."
My words hung heavy between us, but his smirk only deepened as he leaned in, so close our lips nearly touched. "Maybe I like the ri...
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By the time the sun began to dip lower in the sky, I was wandering the halls again, caught in the swirling thoughts that had been haunting me all afternoon. The usual buzz of students hurrying to leave the school felt muted as if the walls were swallowing the noise, leaving only the echo of my questions.
I passed by the open windows, the faint scent of autumn creeping in, mingling with the cool air that slipped through the cracks. Outside, the trees stood mostly green, but there were hints of amber and gold creeping into the edges of the leaves, subtle signs of the season's change. The campus felt different in the fading light, the shadows lengthening and softening the sharp edges of the day.
I rounded a corner and spotted Wallace and Audrey by the library entrance, laughter dancing between them, warm and easy, like a song that didn't need any effort to be beautiful. The sound of their voices was so in sync it almost felt like the air around them was alive, crackling with something I couldn't name.
How are they always together when they're not even in the same grade?
Wallace was reading something aloud, his voice smooth and steady, the words flowing like a melody. Audrey giggled beside him, leaning in as if he were reciting a spell she didn't want to break. The light from the library's overhead lamps caught her hair, turning it into a soft halo around her face. Wallace handed her the book, their fingers brushing lightly, and for a split second, I felt a pang that was both unfamiliar and uncomfortable, prickling like the memory of an old bruise.
I swallowed hard, my gaze was unwillingly drawn to the ease between them, the way their closeness seemed to make everything else fade into the background. I turned away before I could be caught staring, my heart thumping in my chest for reasons I didn't want to understand.
That night, the quiet of my room felt suffocating. The moonlight filtered softly through the curtains, casting a pale light on the walls as I stared at the ceiling, trying to still the rush of thoughts that wouldn't quiet.
My mind refused to settle, looping back to the image of Wallace and Audrey—together, without a care in the world.
Is that what love looks like?
The thought settled heavily, its weight pressing against everything I'd been told about love.
My mother's voice echoed in the recesses of my mind.
Love is strategy. It's an advantage. It's an exchange that leaves no room for weakness.
Yet, what I'd witnessed between Wallace and Audrey didn't resemble any of that. It wasn't about control or status, or about proving anything to anyone.
It was...something else. Something that looked elusive, warm, and disorienting. Something I couldn't quite grasp.
And for the first time in my life, I wondered if I would one day feel it.
