player [ 𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 | 𝗮𝘂 ]

seven

It had been a week since I last saw Luke, a week filled with endless questions and a gnawing sense of confusion. I had feigned sickness to avoid campus, retreating to my room where the walls felt like they were closing in. My phone buzzed with messages from Mia, asking where I was and why I hadn't been around. I brushed them off, too wrapped up in my thoughts to respond.

Was I seriously falling for Luke? The thought terrified me. I had prided myself on being level-headed, but ever since that day at the café, a storm of jealousy and anger had brewed inside me. The way he hesitated when his ex texted him—it was like a knife to my heart. I had tried to convince myself that we were just playing a game, but the closer we had grown, the more I realized I wanted something real.

Every time I replayed the moment he had looked at his phone, my chest tightened. What if he chose her again? What if I was just a distraction, a means to an end for him while he sorted out his feelings for Sarah? I hated the idea that I could be so easily replaced, even if we had agreed to keep things light.

Finally, after days of self-imposed isolation, I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. The park near campus was my usual escape, a place where I could breathe and think without the weight of expectations. As I approached the familiar path, the sun began to set, casting golden light through the trees.

But as I rounded a corner, I stopped dead in my tracks. There, sitting on a bench under a sprawling oak tree, were Luke and Sarah—cuddled together, their laughter ringing through the air like shards of glass piercing my heart.

My stomach twisted painfully as I watched them, my breath hitching in my throat. Luke's arm was draped casually around her shoulder, and she leaned into him, her head resting against his. The sight was more devastating than I could have imagined, shattering the walls I had built around my emotions.

For a moment, I felt frozen, as if time itself had stopped. The world around me faded, and all I could focus on was the painful reality of what I was witnessing. I had tried to convince myself that I could handle this—that it was just a game. But seeing him so close to her made me question everything we had shared, every laugh and every late-night conversation. Had it all meant nothing to him?

Tears pricked at my eyes, and I took a step back, desperate to escape the scene unfolding before me. I wanted to run, to hide from the truth that felt too raw to confront. But something inside me compelled me to move forward, to confront what was happening.

"Daphne?" A voice called out, pulling me from my thoughts. I turned to see Mia approaching, her expression shifting from confusion to concern as she saw the look on my face.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly, her gaze flickering to the bench where Luke and Sarah sat oblivious.

I shook my head, the lump in my throat growing larger. "I need to talk to him," I said, my voice trembling. "I can't just let this go."

Mia nodded, sensing the urgency in my tone. "Are you sure? I mean—"

"I'm sure," I cut her off, my heart pounding. I stepped forward, each stride toward them feeling like a leap into the unknown. The closer I got, the more determined I felt. I couldn't let him think I would just stand by while he rekindled something with Sarah.

"Luke!" I called out, forcing my voice to stay steady.

He looked up, surprise flickering across his face. Sarah turned, her smile fading as she took in my expression.

"Daphne? What are you doing here?" Luke asked, his tone shifting from casual to concerned.

I took a deep breath, my heart racing. "I saw you two together, and I... I needed to talk to you."

"Now?" he replied, glancing at Sarah, who looked equally bewildered. "Can't this wait?"

"No! It can't," I said, my voice rising slightly. "You need to understand."

Luke opened his mouth to respond, but Sarah interjected. "Maybe this isn't the best time, Daphne. We were just—"

"Just what?" I shot back, anger and hurt spilling over. "You were just cuddling with him like nothing ever happened? Like I didn't matter?"

"Daphne, it's not like that," Luke said quickly, but the way he shifted uncomfortably made my heart sink deeper.

"It is like that! You're back with her, and I'm just the girl you used to fool around with, right?" The words came tumbling out, each one hitting like a punch to the gut. "I thought we had something real, but clearly, I was wrong."

Luke's expression hardened. "We were never really dating, Daphne. It was a game. We agreed on that."

"Maybe I didn't want it to be just a game," I said, my voice breaking. "Maybe I was falling for you, and seeing you with her... it just confirms that I should have never gotten involved in this."

Silence fell between us, heavy and suffocating. I could feel my heart shattering, the weight of my admission hanging in the air. Luke's eyes widened, but instead of coming closer, he stepped back, his expression conflicted.

"I... I didn't mean for things to get complicated," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Complicated?" I echoed, feeling a bitter laugh rise in my throat. "You didn't think it would get complicated when you let her back in? You think this is so casual, so unserious, but I'm not just some conquest. I'm your friend."

Luke opened his mouth, but no words came out. The reality of the situation pressed down on me, and I felt as though the ground beneath me was crumbling.

"Daph, I didn't want to hurt you," he finally said, regret seeping into his tone.

"But you did," I replied, my voice trembling. "You hurt me more than you know."

I turned away, tears streaming down my cheeks as I walked back toward the path that led out of the park. Behind me, I could hear Luke calling my name, but I didn't stop. I couldn't face him, not now, not when everything felt so broken.

As I stepped into the open air, I realized that the game we had been playing had turned into something I never anticipated. I had laid my heart on the line, only to find that it was a game Luke was still playing, even if he didn't see it that way.

And in that moment, I felt the weight of my own heartache. I was done pretending.

I knew things had to change.

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