Back To You;

CHAPTER 3.5

But then—bam!

“Marie!”

Of course it was John. He slid into the chair beside Lauren like he owned the place. Mae was right behind him, wearing the most annoying grin like she knew exactly what was happening.

“Hey! So you two are over here, not talking to us!” John said, making no effort to be quiet. “What's going on? Some deep conversation about life or—”

I felt my face flush. Great. Just as I was about to finally get the nerve to confess, these two had to show up and ruin everything.

“John, seriously,” I groaned, trying not to die of embarrassment.

Lauren just chuckled, but the moment was broken. My chance to finally say those words—gone in a flash. Instead, we were talking about random nonsense, with John and Mae teasing me every chance they got. But there was this weird undercurrent between Lauren and me. A tension I couldn’t ignore. A question that was still hanging in the air.

By the time I left the cafe, I was a mess. My head was spinning, and my heart was doing that weird fluttering thing again. I had almost said it. Almost told him how I felt, how much I wanted this.

(The next day)

I stood at the hallway for a moment, staring at Lauren, who now had this amused smirk on his face as the bell rang and everyone around us scrambled to their classrooms. My heart, which had been racing just a second ago, now felt like it had just been dragged through a field of question marks.

“What were you going to say?” I asked, suddenly aware of how small my voice sounded in the chaos of students pushing past us.

Lauren glanced at me, his grin widening ever so slightly. “You really don’t know how to just let things happen, huh?”

I blinked, completely thrown off. “What do you mean?”

He shrugged, still leaning against the lockers, looking far too comfortable for my rapidly increasing discomfort. “You’re always running, Marie. Always running away from what you want. It’s kind of... cute. But also frustrating.”

Oh my God. My brain short-circuited. What was he talking about? Did he just... did he just call me CUTE?!

I could feel my face turning bright red. "I—I'm not running," I muttered, but even I knew that sounded unconvincing.

Lauren pushed himself off the lockers and stepped closer, his tone shifting to something more serious. “You always have this... wall, you know? Always holding yourself back. But I don’t get it. We’ve known each other forever, and you can’t even tell me something simple?”

I felt like the world had tilted. “What do you mean something simple?” I asked, my voice wavering.

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he just stared at me like he was waiting for me to get it. And I was so close. So close to just saying it, to letting the words fly out of my mouth. I could feel them on the tip of my tongue.

But before I could speak, someone shoved me aside.

“Oh, for crying out loud!” John’s voice pierced the moment, as he and Mae suddenly appeared, looking far too pleased with themselves. "We interrupt this heartfelt moment to bring you—drumroll—lunch! Come on, guys. You’re both going to be late."

I turned to glare at him, my heart sinking. Why did they have to always show up at the worst possible time?

Lauren rolled his eyes, but I could tell he wasn’t mad. He looked at me one last time, his expression unreadable. Then, with a slight smile, he gave me a small nod, like he was telling me it was okay. Like he knew something I didn’t.

“Next time, Marie. We’ll talk next time,” he said softly, his voice barely audible over the noise around us.

And just like that, he was gone, swallowed up by the crowd of students heading to class. I stood there, frozen, staring at the spot where he had been, wondering what had just happened.

"Next time..."

I sighed, letting the weight of those two words settle in my chest.

Next time. Was there going to be a next time? Was I going to get another shot at saying everything I wanted to say? Or was I doomed to let this feeling sit inside me, growing heavier with each passing day?

I didn’t know. All I knew was that for once, I wasn’t the one running. And maybe—just maybe—next time, I wouldn’t be the only one waiting.

But for now, I had to focus on surviving the rest of the day without completely combusting.

So I turned, forcing a smile as I followed John and Mae, trying to ignore the pit in my stomach.

After all, we still had lunch.

And maybe—just maybe—I’d finally get the courage to make the next move.