Unpredictable Love.

Kapitel Seven.

Maxine’s POV

The days after our reunion felt like navigating uncharted waters. The dynamic between Theo and me was cautious but no longer cold.

Jarvie and Savannah, ever the mediators, filled the gaps with their humor and warmth, while Damian kept me anchored in the present.

But the unspoken tension between Theo and me lingered, a silent reminder of the past we had yet to confront.

A week later, Damian proposed having a casual dinner at her apartment, this time to strengthen the reconnection of all of us.

Her excitement was contagious, and I somehow found myself agreeing in spite of myself.

The night was filled with laughter and camaraderie. Jarvie's over-the-top stories had everyone doubled over, and Savannah's mild teasing kept the mood light and airy.

Even Theo looked relaxed, her sharp amber gaze softened as she leaned into conversations with ease.

But her eyes kept landing on me across the room, her eyes holding a weight that tugged me.

Finally, after dinner, as the others cozied up in the living room, Theo came over to me.

"Can we talk?" she asked low enough so that only I could hear.

I glanced at Damian, who was playing animatedly with Harmony and Fleur, before nodding. "Sure."

We stepped out onto Damian's small balcony, the cool night air wrapping around us. The city stretched out beneath us in all directions, its lights like stars.

Theo leaned against the railing, her face set into an unreadable mask.

"I should have said that for a while already," she started, her voice firm but cautious.

"I didn't go back just to take time off. I wanted to see you, Maxine. To determine if we could fix what we had lost."

Her words hit a chord in my chest, and I was momentarily speechless.

"I've wanted the same thing," I confessed, my voice quivering ever so slightly.

"But I didn't know how to reach out."

Theo's eyes softened, but then her brows furrowed, as if bracing for something painful.

"Do you even remember why we stopped talking in the first place?" Her question pulled me back into a moment I'd tried so hard to bury—that had marked the beginning of the end for us.

--

College Days Flashback

Theo and I had been inseparable. She was my bestfriend, the one person I could count on no matter what. Our relationship had always been something more, until one night, everything unraveled.

It was late, and I was waiting for Theo at our usual spot in the campus library. My notes lay scattered out before me, but my attention was elsewhere. Theo had been absent lately, missing study sessions, arriving late, and making unspecific excuses.

I felt my heart leap when she finally walked in, her hair half-unkempt and her bag slung permissively over her shoulder. My relief was short-lived.

"You're late," I said, my irritation bleeding into my tone.

Theo raised an eyebrow, tossing her bag onto the table. "Good to see you too."