Never Date a Genius

Chapter 39: Mistake?

Jason's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as the streetlights flickered past, each one a brief flash of illumination in the suffocating darkness. The night was quiet, but inside his chest, a storm raged, relentless and unyielding. He kept replaying the goodbye, the way Sophie's soft smile had lingered on her lips, the way her eyes held his just a moment too long, and the hesitation in her voice that had echoed in his mind like a haunting refrain.

Did I give up too soon? he wondered, the weight of doubt pressing down on him like a heavy fog.

He'd told himself he was doing the right thing, stepping back because Mason was in the picture, because he didn't want Sophie to be torn, because how can he compete with history?

Everyone in school knows how Sophie and Mason were always together. They were like a couple and no one in their right mind had tried to break them up before. He had always liked Sophie but had kept his distance.

And when he was given a chance, he took it. He tried to fight but Mason seems to be fighting back. And it feels like he was losing. So it felt like it was time to back down from a battle that he couldn't seem to win.

But now, alone in the car, the excuses felt hollow.

His mind raced through every moment they'd shared: the quick tutoring sessions where their laughter echoed off the walls, the way he had comforted her after the Marissa incident, how her vulnerability had tugged at his heartstrings. He remembered how he had wanted to be her rock, her safe haven, the one person she could turn to when the world felt too heavy. The easy conversations that made everything else fade away felt like a lifetime ago.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and the images flooded back. He could see her face lighting up when she explained math problems, her passion spilling over as she animatedly debated the intricacies of science and physics. It was those moments that had sparked something rare between them, a connection that felt so genuine it scared him.

Was I pretending that it's too late and I had to let her go? The thought gnawed at him, sinking deeper into his consciousness like a relentless tide.

"Could I have meant more to her if I hadn't given up?" he whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of longing and despair, feeling utterly lost and unsure of himself.

The more he thought about it, the clearer it became, he'd let the one person who saw him for who he truly was slip through his fingers. A wave of sorrow washed over him, tightening around his heart like a vice.

Jason exhaled sharply, voice barely a whisper inside the empty car. "What if I should've fought harder?"

His eyes burned with unshed tears, the ache of 'what could have been' settling deep in his chest, a dull throb that wouldn't let go.

The car slowed to a stop at a red light, and Jason's fingers trembled as he reached for his phone. His thumb hovered over Sophie's name.

Do I text her?

The thought of reaching out was both a lifeline and a curse. But the fear, the gnawing fear of rejection, of complicating her life even further held him back like a heavy anchor.

The light turned green, and Jason's car pulled away, leaving behind a night full of regrets and a heart heavy with longing. He glanced in the rearview mirror, half expecting to see her standing there, waiting, but the street was empty and dark.

Each mile felt like a chasm between them, the distance growing as he fought against the tide of emotions crashing over him

As he pulled into his driveway, he shut off the engine but sat there in the dark, the weight of his choices pressing down on him. He thought of how easy it had been to let her go, and how hard it was to live with that decision.

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