Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
LEA FORGETS how to breathe.
The coffee that sits in front of her starts to grow cold as she stares at the words that Alec's girlfriend sent her. Her eyelids find themselves lost and unable to blink. Her fingers become too numb to reply and she immediately shuts her phone close and throws it into her bag.
Her eyes roam around the room to search for a familiar face and it is only seconds, she realizes that she's completely alone in a crowd of people. She shoves her hand through her hair and tucks a strand behind her ears. Carrying the mug on her hand, she sips a little and realizes that it tastes cold. She gulps.
She isn't sure what to feel. She would be lying if she said that she didn't develop feelings for Alec but never, not once during the period of time, she thought that there was a chance of him liking her back. A wave of happiness tugs at her forcing her to smile and produce knots in her stomach. But, a bigger wave of guilt overshadows it, consuming her throughout.
It consumes her wholly.
Her biggest fear in life is to wreck another relationship because she knows exactly what it feels like to be on the other side. And, the guilt of wrecking Alec's relationship burns the inner layer of her stomach. This was too much for her to digest.
Her eyes flutter as it meets a familiar pair that she has been waiting for. Carrie wears a long black trench coat which she removes, hanging it on the chair, preparing herself to sit. "It's quite warm here, don't you think?" she blurts. Lea forces a smile on her face, shifting her gaze towards the table. "Is everything okay, Lea? You look troubled."
"Shit," she mutters under her breath. She shakes her head, lifting it up to meet her concerned face. "Yeah, everything's fine," she lies bluntly and sips another portion of her coffee, breaking the eye contact.
"Okay," Carries nods and orders a hot chocolate as the waitress stands in front of them.
What have I done, Lea thinks to herself. What have you done, Lea?
The guilt running through her body increases as she realizes she knows the exact answer to that question.
•••
SHE DIDN'T talk to him after that.
Or to be more precise, he didn't talk to her either.
It has been a few days since they've talked to each other and neither of them made an effort to start a conversation. Lea wanted to ask him about what happened between Harper and him but she simply couldn't find the strength to. She hoped he would send her a message stating that everything was okay between them but it only made everything worse.
Confusion was the state Lea was in.
"Lea," a familiar voice welcomes her and she turns her neck to meet a pair of blue eyes. Connor stands in front of her, a huge smile plastered on his lips. His hands crawl to her neck, pulling her into a tight embrace.
