Strings To Your Heart

Chapter 9: Don't Hide, Jade

The week passed, each day feeling like a blur of schoolwork, band practice, and fleeting moments spent with River. I hadn't told Diana about the chemistry project—it didn’t seem that important anymore, and I didn't want to make things complicated. She had enough on her plate—her work, the upcoming events—so I figured it wouldn't matter much.

But as time went on, River felt more distant. We used to talk and laugh often, but now, it was like he was slipping away, and I didn’t know why. Maybe it was because of our last conversation, or maybe he was just busy with the band. But either way, something had changed.

One day at practice, I felt that something was off.

We were in the music room, the band warming up. River was hanging out by the drums, playing with a serious expression. His bandmates, on the other hand, looked carefree—tuning their guitars, joking around. When they saw me enter, they immediately took notice. They weren’t expecting any visitors, so I just said I was going to use the music room as well.

"Oh, Jade! You're here!" Liam, their frontman, laughed. "How's the project going?" He was probably teasing about the chemistry project.

"It's okay," I answered, feeling a bit shy.

Then Marco, the bassist, approached me. "I didn’t know you were into music," he said. "What other instruments do you play besides guitar?"

"Uhm..." I hesitated. "Piano, drums, violin, bass. But I just tried all of them." I still felt a bit embarrassed.

Before I could say anything else, River spoke—surprisingly.

"She’s good," he said, a small smile on his lips as he looked at his bandmates. "You guys need to hear her play again."

I was shocked. I hadn’t expected him to say that about me. But I didn’t question it—I just stood there, stunned by their stares.

His bandmates immediately started teasing him.

"Oh, River! Looks like you’ve got a new favorite," Liam teased, laughing. "Aren't you always the first to cheer when she learns something new?"

River slumped against the drums, looking uncomfortable. "I don’t care about that," he muttered, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Are you sure? Because to you, this seems to mean something else," Marco teased.

"Huh?" I asked. I didn’t know how to take their jokes. I just laughed along, but deep inside, I felt confused.

After practice, I was packing up my things when my phone suddenly buzzed. It was Diana.

"Coffee shop later? I need to talk to you."

I was confused. Why was she suddenly asking to meet? Did something happen? Did she find out something? I quickly replied.

"Sure, but why now? Isn’t it a bit early?"

She didn’t respond right away. As I walked out of the music room, I saw River talking to a bandmate. He glanced in my direction, and for a moment, our eyes met. But before I could figure out what his look meant, I ignored it and hurried out.

Moments later, my phone buzzed again. Diana.

"I know what's going on. Don't pretend you don't."

My heart pounded. What does she mean? Did she see something?

As I walked to the coffee shop, I couldn’t stop thinking about River. Why did I feel so heavy? And why did it feel like something was happening that I hadn’t realized yet?

When I arrived, I immediately spotted Diana. She was already seated, arms crossed. She didn’t stand up when she saw me, so I just walked over to her. I still couldn’t shake off everything that happened in the music room. I hadn’t expected River’s bandmates to tease him like that, especially after he complimented me.

"Jade, I just wanted to ask," Diana said, her expression serious. "Is there something going on between you and River? Because this is getting weird."

I sat down across from her, meeting her sharp gaze. "No, Diana," I answered. "Like I said before, we're just friends."

But even I wasn’t sure how heavy this feeling in my chest was. It was starting to feel like something more than friendship, but I couldn’t admit it to myself—especially when I didn’t even know what River felt.

Diana stirred her iced coffee absentmindedly, her eyes never leaving me. She’s serious about this. I could tell from the way she leaned forward slightly, waiting for my response.

"Jade, I know you're hiding something."

I shrugged, avoiding her gaze. "I'm not hiding anything," I muttered. "There's nothing going on between me and River."

She raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Then why does it feel like there is?" She took a slow sip of her drink before continuing. "You two have been spending more time together. You talk to him differently now. And don't think I didn’t notice how you looked at each other earlier."

My stomach twisted. Was it that obvious?

I sighed, leaning back in my seat. "Diana, you’re overthinking. We’re just friends. We’ve always been friends."

She let out a dry laugh. "Right. Friends." She tilted her head. "Jade, when was the last time you acted this weird over just a ‘friend’?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but I hesitated. She has a point.

Diana smirked at my silence. "Exactly." She set her drink down with a soft thud. "Look, I’m not here to force you to admit something you’re not ready for. But don’t lie to yourself."

I frowned. "I’m not lying to myself."

"Aren’t you?" She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Then answer me this—why did you look so nervous when his bandmates were teasing him about you? And don’t even try to say it was just because you were shy."

I opened my mouth to respond, but once again, nothing came out. Why was I nervous?

Diana continued. "And why did River defend you? He didn’t even deny what they were saying. If you guys were really just friends, he could’ve just laughed it off, but instead, he got awkward. And trust me, Jade—guys don’t get awkward for no reason."

I bit my lip. Was she right?

I thought back to that moment in the music room. The way River casually said I was good. The way his bandmates immediately started teasing him. The way he didn’t fight back—just slumped against the drums and muttered under his breath.

Had I been too caught up in my own thoughts to notice his reaction properly?

Diana sighed, shaking her head. "Jade, I’ve known you for years. And I know when you’re trying to avoid something. You can tell me there’s nothing going on, and maybe that’s true—for now. But don’t pretend you don’t feel something when you do."

I felt a lump in my throat. Do I?

I swallowed hard, looking down at my untouched drink.

"I just..." I exhaled slowly. "I don’t want to assume anything, Di. I mean, what if I’m just imagining it? What if I’m reading too much into things?"

She smiled knowingly. "Then you’re in denial."

I groaned, running a hand through my hair. "It’s not that simple."

Diana tilted her head. "Then tell me—why does it feel complicated?"

I hesitated. Why does it?

After a long pause, I finally admitted, "Because... I don’t know how he feels."

Diana nodded, as if she expected that answer. "And what about you? How do you feel?"

I opened my mouth—then closed it again.

How do I feel?

I thought about River. His presence, his quiet understanding, the way he made me feel safe. The way my heart did this stupid, annoying thing whenever he so much as looked at me.

I thought about the way he listened to me play music. How he paid attention to every little thing I did, even when I thought no one was watching.

I thought about how, lately, I’ve been looking for him more than I used to.

And then it hit me.

I wasn’t confused. I wasn’t overthinking.

I was just scared to admit it.

Diana watched as realization flickered across my face. She didn’t say anything—she just smiled knowingly.

I sighed in defeat. "Fine. Maybe I do feel something. But that doesn’t mean anything, right?"

"Jade." Diana shook her head, amused. "That’s literally the whole point. Feelings mean something."

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "I hate this."

She laughed. "No, you don’t."

I peeked at her through my fingers. "Okay, maybe I don’t. But I hate that you were right."

Diana grinned. "I’m always right. You should know that by now."

I sighed again, leaning back in my chair.

So this is what it feels like to finally admit something to yourself.