Crossed Lines

Eli

The heater in my car hummed softly as I drove away from Mina's house, the faint light from her porch disappearing in my rearview mirror. I kept glancing at my phone, waiting for the buzz of her text.

Lia: I'm in. Thanks again.

It came just as I hit the first stoplight. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and texted back with one hand

Eli: Anytime.

The drive back felt longer than it should've. Maybe it was the silence in the car, or maybe it was the way Mina looked as she walked up to her house—small, almost fragile, against the dark backdrop of the night was stuck in my head.

It wasn't the first time I'd driven her home after work, but tonight felt... different. Maybe it was the way she looked at me in the car, tired but still with that spark in her eyes. Or maybe it was the way she'd hesitated before heading inside, like she didn't want to be alone either.

I don't blame her. That house—it used to feel so full of life, her mom's laugh echoing through the walls. I'd spent so many afternoons there when we were younger, sitting at the kitchen table with Mina while her mom asked if I wanted more to eat. She never took no for an answer, by the way.

Now, though? The place just felt... quiet. Too quiet.

The light turned green, and I pressed on the gas, trying to shake the thought. My hands tightened around the steering wheel as I thought about Mina walking up to that empty house night after night.

I pulled into the parking lot outside my dorm, turning off the car but not getting out right away. The clock on the dash read just past midnight, and the campus was mostly dark except for the lampposts lining the paths.

I leaned back in my seat, staring up at the roof of my car. I could hear Noah's voice in my head: "You've got it bad, man."

Maybe I did.

I grabbed my backpack from the passenger seat and got out of the car, the cold biting at my skin as I jogged to the dorm entrance. The hallway was quiet, most of the guys already asleep or gaming with their headphones on.

I pushed open the door to my room, finding Noah still awake, headphones on as he stared at his laptop screen. He glanced up when I walked in, pulling one side of his headphones off.

"Wow I thought you were gonna sleep at her place." he asked.

"Funny," I said, kicking off my sneakers.

"You drop Mina off?"

I nodded, tossing my keys onto the desk. "Yeah, good thing too. Some frat fucker tried to hit on her." 

Noah smirked, leaning back in his chair. "You're really something, you know that?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb," he said, closing his laptop. "You're always looking out for her. Like, more than a friend would."

"She's my best friend," I said automatically, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Exactly," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Best friend. Not just a friend."

I rolled my eyes, leaning back on my elbows. "You're reading into it too much."

"Am I?" he asked, his tone teasing but not unkind.

I didn't answer. Mostly because I didn't have one. It wasn't like I hadn't thought about it—what Mina meant to me, what I meant to her. But those thoughts always felt too messy, too complicated to unpack.

Noah shrugged, breaking the silence. "All I'm saying is, if you ever want to stop lying to yourself, I'll be here to say 'I told you so.'"

"Good to know," I said dryly, throwing a pillow at him.

He laughed, dodging it with ease. "Whatever, man. Just don't wait too long to figure it out. You know how life is around here—blink, and it's gone."

I didn't respond, letting his words hang in the air as I stared up at the ceiling.

It wasn't that I didn't know how I felt about Mina. I did. I just didn't know what to do about it.

_______________

The sunlight filtered through the blinds, casting uneven lines across the ceiling as my alarm blared its familiar tune. I groaned, smacking it off and rolling over. Another day. Another early morning.

Noah was already up, rummaging through his drawers, probably looking for his favorite hoodie. "Bro you awake, or are you just gonna lay there until class?"

"Give me a second," I muttered, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. My legs felt stiff—probably from the extra laps Coach made us run yesterday. Or maybe it was from sitting in my car for so long after dropping Mina off. Either way, I needed to get moving.

After throwing on some sweatpants and the Timberwolves hoodie, Noah and I were heading out together, his pace a little faster than mine as usual. The cool morning air woke me up more than my coffee did, and we fell into easy conversation.

"You gonna see Mina today?" he asked, like he wasn't fishing for something.

"Maybe. Why?" I replied, keeping my tone casual.

"No reason," he said, smirking. "Just wondering if your 'best friend' has figured out you're hopelessly in love with her yet."

I rolled my eyes. "You're relentless, you know that?"

"Hey, someone's gotta push you, man. Otherwise, you'll just keep pretending you don't have feelings, and I can't watch it anymore."

I didn't respond. It wasn't worth arguing about something he'd already decided for me.

Classes went by in a blur, a mix of lectures and half-finished notes. The countdown to practice ticked in the back of my mind like clockwork, my body already anticipating the feel of the court beneath my shoes.

At lunch, I met up with the guys in the cafeteria. Levi was already halfway through a sandwich, while Connor and Alex debated something about last night's NBA game.

"Yo, Eli," Levi said, nodding at me. "We're hitting the court early today, right?"

"Yeah, I'll be there," I said, sliding into the seat next to him.

Connor grinned. "Good. Hartford is coming up fast. No slacking."

"Speaking of Hartford," Alex chimed in, "Coach was talking about switching up plays. Think he's overthinking it?"

"Nah," I said. "We've got the skills, but they've got size. We can't just play our usual game and hope for the best."

The conversation stayed on basketball, each of us throwing out ideas and predictions. It felt good, like the kind of camaraderie you only get with teammates who've been through it all with you.

After lunch, I checked my phone and saw a text from Mina.

Mina: Do you have practice tonight?
Me: Yeah, but it's not until 5. What's up?
Mina: I wanted to grab coffee later if you're free.
Me: I can make time. When?
Mina: 3?

I smiled, typing a quick reply before tucking my phone back in my pocket. Spending time with Mina was always a highlight, even if it meant rearranging my schedule a bit.

The day continued, the hours stretching until it was finally time to meet Mina. As I walked to The Study Nook, I couldn't help but think about Noah's words from earlier. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was time to stop pretending.

But for now, I'd take things one step at a time. Because being with Mina, even just as her best friend, was better than not being with her at all.