In The Time Between

September, 2021

It had been a few months since the world had started to reopen after the lockdowns, but honestly, things still felt a little... off. I'd spent most of my time cooped up in my room, scrolling through my phone and trying to figure out how to adjust to a world that was suddenly alive again. I guess I was still a little overwhelmed by the change, and I wasn't sure what to do with all the space and time I suddenly had.

One of the few constants in my life, though, had always been Ethan, my annoying but somehow intriguing neighbor. He was a year younger than me, which I'd always thought was a dealbreaker. I wasn't into younger guys—not my type. I liked older guys, the confident ones who seemed to know exactly what they wanted. But Ethan... Ethan wasn't like that. He was quiet, a little mysterious, and in the months after the lockdown, he somehow ended up being around more than usual.

For about a month, we'd talked a lot—at first, it was just casual chats in the yard, brief run-ins when I walked my dog or sat on the porch. But after a while, those moments started to feel different. We started hanging out more, sharing things I didn't expect—like late-night texts, laughs, and moments of real connection. It felt easy, too easy, and I found myself looking forward to seeing him every day, even though I wasn't sure what it was between us. It was never anything official, not really. But it also didn't feel like *just* friendship.

We sort of dated—if you could call it that. Nothing serious, nothing official, but the lines were blurry. We spent time together, talking about everything from movies to personal stuff, sharing moments that were both exciting and confusing. But then, one evening, he started talking about taking things to the next level.

I remember him looking at me with those deep, searching eyes, asking if I was ready for more—ready for what *he* wanted. But the thing was, I wasn't. I wasn't sure I was even ready for what we already had, let alone anything more. The idea of going further, moving too fast, made me feel uncomfortable, like I wasn't in control of where things were heading.

I wanted to take things slow, but Ethan didn't seem to get that. He was eager to move forward, to push boundaries I wasn't ready for, and before I knew it, I found myself pulling away. I wasn't ready for the kind of relationship he wanted, and I couldn't give him what he was asking for. I tried to keep things normal, tried to keep the connection we had, but it was clear we were on different pages.

Then came the twist.

I found out about *his girlfriend* through our neighbor, Mikah, who lived down the street and was also a good friend of both Ethan and me. Mikah, in his usual blunt way, mentioned it casually one afternoon while we were hanging out. "Did you know Ethan's dating someone now?" he asked, like it was no big deal. I froze, my stomach sinking. A girlfriend?

I wasn't angry, not exactly, but something inside me twisted. Ethan had never mentioned a girlfriend, and honestly, I felt blindsided. We had shared so much over the past month—how could he not have told me?

It felt like I was left in the dark, caught in a game I didn't even realize I was playing. The worst part? He never even told me himself.

The next time I saw him, I didn't know what to say. He just acted like everything was fine, like nothing had changed. But *everything* had changed. I wanted to be cool about it, to shrug it off, but I couldn't. His sudden girlfriend had torn away the comfortable space we'd built, leaving nothing but confusion and that aching feeling I didn't want to face.

"Hey," Ethan said, as if nothing had happened, his usual easy smile lighting up his face. "You good?"

I nodded, trying to act like I was fine. "Yeah, just—just surprised, that's all."

And I guess that was it. He had a girlfriend now. We were cool, but I wasn't sure I was fine with it. I couldn't stop wondering if I'd been just another stop on the way to his real relationship, the one he'd moved on to, leaving me behind without a word.

It didn't help that now I was left wondering—was I just another chapter in his story? Was he ever serious about what we had, or was I just a placeholder until he found someone else?

I wasn't angry. I was just... confused. And sad. How was it that we could spend so much time together, share laughs, secrets, moments, and then... he could just slip away without a word? He had a girlfriend now, and that was that. But it didn't make sense.

It felt like I was the one left behind in some unwritten chapter of his life, the one he forgot to finish.

I watched him walk back to his house, that same confident stride, his hands in his pockets, and I couldn't shake the feeling that I was the one who had been left out.

And the worst part? He didn't even seem to notice.

4o mini