Chapter Four: Loops
339 Words
For a while, things were good again.
Not perfect, but close enough that she let herself believe it could last this time.
He texted more.
Showed up on time.
Listened when she talked instead of scrolling through his phone.
The effort was there she saw it, she felt it. And for a minute, she let herself exhale.
But habits don’t disappear. They just learn to hide.
It started with small things again. The way his tone would change when her phone buzzed. The way his hand would tighten slightly on her thigh when another guy said “Hi” in passing. The questions casual at first.
“Where were you?”
“Who were you with?”
“Why didn’t you answer?”
She told herself he was just being protective. But deep down, she knew better.
One night, she came home late hair messy from the wind, tired but happy after catching up with an old friend. Luca was on the couch, hoodie up, the TV flickering across his face.
“You didn’t text,” he said.
“I was driving.”
He nodded, eyes still fixed on the screen. “Funny. You always manage to text me back when you want to.”
She froze. That tone again — calm, quiet, dangerous.
“Luca—”
He turned to look at her. “Just say it. You like seeing how far you can push me, don’t you?”
That one hit different. She felt the air shift, that edge she swore she’d never feel again.
“I don’t have time for this,” she said, walking past him.
He stood up fast. “Don’t walk away from me.”
She did anyway because this time, she had to.
Behind her, she heard him curse under his breath, the sound of something hitting the counter. But he didn’t follow her. Not that night.
And as she closed her bedroom door, she realized sometimes love isn’t a storm that ends.
It’s one that keeps finding new ways to rain.
- Writer
