The words that was left unsaid

Chapter 1

Rue,was sitting in their usual corner of the coffee shop,pretending to read a book while Cara chatted away about some new drama in the book club,her voice light and carefree.

Rue,eyes lingered on Cara,face-her smile,the curve on her lips when she spoke,how the sunlight from the window seemed to settled around her in a golden halo.

God why do you have to be so prefect?
Rue thought,her fingers tracing the end of her mug,pretending it was a book she was supposed to be reading.

Cara leaned forward,eyes sparkling."What do you think, Rue?" She asked,clearly expecting a response,but Rue,was to caught in the soft way Cara hair fell over her shoulder,the little flicker of something in her eyes when she spoke.

Rue forced herself to snap out of it. "Oh, yeah, totally," she said, her voice coming out a little breathier than she'd meant. Cara,raised an eyebrow but smiled, seemingly too distracted to notice the flush creeping up Rue's neck.

It wasn't that Rue had never known she was in love with Cara—it was obvious, in a way that felt both obvious and impossible. Cara was everything Rue wasn't. Outgoing, effortlessly charming, always surrounded by people. Rue was quiet, reserved, a little too introspective for her own good. But what made it worse was the fact that Cara never seemed to notice.Or maybe, Rue thought,she didn't want to.

As Cara continued talking, Rue let her mind wander again. She couldn't stop imagining the two of them, alone in a quiet room. What would it feel like to hold her hand? To kiss her, even? The thought of it felt like something dangerous and delicate, and Rue wasn't sure if she was brave enough to let it happen. Maybe it was better this way, she thought—admiring her from a distance, loving her quietly, in the safety of her own thoughts.

But the truth was, Rue wasn't sure how much longer she could keep pretending. Cara was right there, always laughing, always talking, and Rue was starting to think that maybe—just maybe—she didn't want to keep it all inside anymore.

What if I told her? Rue wondered. The thought made her heart race. It was a dangerous thought. The kind of thought that could ruin everything, but also the kind that made her feel like she might be able to breathe again.

Cara looked up, catching Rue's gaze for a second. Rue quickly blinked, averting her eyes, but the spark in Clara's smile lingered, like she knew something Rue didn't. Something Rue had never dared to ask.

Maybe Clara would never feel the same way. Or maybe—just maybe—she did.