Unexpectedly In Love

9 Stay

I didn't ask Marco what truth he was talking about.

Not immediately.

I told myself I didn't care.

That I had already moved on.

That whatever explanation he had didn't matter anymore.

But sometimes, the things we don't want to know are exactly the things our minds won't stop thinking about.

I kept wondering.

What truth?

Why now?

Why after all this time?

And most importantly...

Why did I still care?

⸻

The next morning, Ethan texted me.

Ethan: Good morning.

I smiled.

Me: Morning.

A few seconds later:

Ethan: Did you sleep?

I stared at the message.

Me: Barely.

Ethan: Want coffee?

I smiled.

Me: Is that your solution to everything?

Ethan: It's a pretty good solution.

I laughed.

Me: Fine.

Ethan: I'll see you in thirty.

I put my phone down.

For the first time in days, I wasn't thinking about Marco.

I was thinking about Ethan.

And maybe that was progress.

⸻

When I arrived at the café, Ethan was already there.

Two cups were sitting on our usual table.

He pushed one toward me.

"Your coffee."

I looked at him.

"You remembered."

"Of course."

I took the cup.

"Thank you."

He smiled.

We sat quietly for a while.

Then he asked,

"How are you?"

I knew he wasn't asking about my sleep.

He was asking about everything.

"I'm okay."

He nodded.

"Really?"

I thought about it.

"Not completely."

He smiled.

"That's okay."

I looked at him.

"You don't get tired?"

"Of what?"

"Me."

He frowned.

"Why would I?"

"Because I'm always scared."

He shrugged.

"Then you're scared."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

I laughed.

"You're weird."

"I know."

He took a sip of his coffee.

"You don't have to be fearless to move forward, Lyss."

I looked at him.

"You just have to keep moving."

I smiled.

"Since when did you become wise?"

"Since I met you."

I rolled my eyes.

"Cheesy."

"You liked it."

"Maybe."

⸻

Over the next few weeks, things slowly became normal again.

Not perfect.

Just normal.

Ethan and I continued seeing each other.

Coffee.

Walks.

Random calls.

Late-night conversations.

Stupid arguments about food.

He still sent me memes at the most random hours.

And I still complained about them.

But something had changed.

I was learning to tell him when I was uncomfortable.

Instead of disappearing.

I was learning to say when something hurt.

Instead of pretending it didn't.

And when I started overthinking, I tried to remind myself:

Ethan is not Marco.

It sounds simple.

But for me, it wasn't.

Sometimes, my past felt louder than my present.

Sometimes, one unanswered message was enough to make my chest tighten.

Sometimes, I wanted to run.

But I didn't.

I stayed.

⸻

One evening, Ethan called me.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Want to go somewhere?"

"Where?"

"Surprise."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because your surprises are suspicious."

He laughed.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"If I tell you, it's not a surprise."

I sighed.

"Fine."

⸻

Twenty minutes later, I found myself sitting beside him in his car.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"Lyss."

"Okay, sorry."

A few minutes later, he pulled over.

I looked outside.

It was a quiet place overlooking the city.

There were only a few people around.

The sky was turning orange.

I stepped out of the car.

"Wow."

Ethan smiled.

"I thought you'd like it."

"I do."

We stood beside each other.

For a while, neither of us spoke.

Then I said,

"I've never been here before."

"I know."

I looked at him.

"How?"

"You mentioned once that you liked quiet places."

I smiled.

"You actually listen."

"Sometimes."

I laughed.

We sat on a nearby bench.

The sun slowly disappeared behind the buildings.

I felt strangely peaceful.

Then Ethan asked,

"Do you still think about him?"

I knew who he meant.

"Sometimes."

He nodded.

"Does it still hurt?"

I thought about it.

"Not the same way."

"Good."

I looked at him.

"Are you jealous?"

He smiled.

"Should I be?"

"I don't know."

"I don't think so."

"Why?"

"Because you're here."

My heart skipped.

Simple.

No grand speech.

No dramatic promise.

Just four words.

Because you're here.

⸻

I looked at the city lights.

"I used to think love was supposed to feel intense."

Ethan listened.

"Like you had to constantly worry about losing someone."

I paused.

"I thought jealousy meant you cared."

I looked down.

"I thought fighting meant passion."

He didn't say anything.

"I didn't know love could be quiet."

I looked at him.

"Until now."

His expression softened.

"What does it feel like?"

I smiled.

"Safe."

He didn't respond immediately.

Then he said,

"That's all I ever wanted for you."

I looked at him.

"To feel safe?"

"Yeah."

My heart felt warm.

⸻

A few days later, something happened.

Something small.

Something stupid.

But it reminded me how far I had come.

Ethan didn't reply to my message.

One hour.

Then two.

My old thoughts immediately returned.

Maybe he's upset.

Maybe he's losing interest.

Maybe he's talking to someone else.

I stared at my phone.

My hands felt cold.

For a moment, I wanted to disappear.

I almost turned off my phone.

Instead, I took a breath.

I reminded myself.

Ask.

So I called him.

He answered after a few rings.

"Hey."

"Hi."

"Sorry, I was helping my brother."

I closed my eyes.

"Oh."

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

A pause.

Then I admitted,

"I started overthinking."

He was quiet.

"Thank you for telling me."

I smiled.

"You don't think I'm crazy?"

"No."

"Annoying?"

"Sometimes."

"Ethan."

He laughed.

"I'm kidding."

I laughed too.

And just like that...

The fear passed.

Not because Ethan magically made it disappear.

But because I didn't run from it.

I faced it.

I communicated.

And nothing terrible happened.

⸻

That night, I realized something.

Healing wasn't waking up one morning and suddenly forgetting everything.

It wasn't never getting scared again.

It was being scared...

and choosing not to let the fear make my decisions.

It was learning that not every silence meant abandonment.

Not every disagreement meant the end.

Not every person would hurt me the way Marco did.

And maybe...

I didn't have to keep punishing my future for what someone in my past had done.

⸻

I was lying in bed when Ethan messaged me.

Ethan: You awake?

Me: Yes.

Ethan: Good.

Me: Why?

A few seconds passed.

Ethan: Just wanted to say goodnight.

I smiled.

Me: Goodnight.

Then another message appeared.

Ethan: Lyss?

Me: Hmm?

Ethan: Thank you for staying.

I stared at the screen.

My heart tightened.

I typed slowly.

Me: Thank you for giving me a reason to.

I put my phone down.

For once, I didn't think about what could go wrong.

I didn't wonder how long it would last.

I didn't prepare myself for the day Ethan might leave.

I simply closed my eyes.

And stayed.

Maybe love wasn't about finding someone who could promise you'd never get hurt.

Maybe it was finding someone who made you believe that even if life hurt again...

you would still be okay.

And for the first time in years,

I believed I would be.