HER

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MUNA'S POV

The moment I stepped into Alex's house, Mrs. Grace greeted me with her usual warm smile. She was more than just a house-help; she was family.

"Hello, Muna," she beamed.

"Hi, Mrs Grace," I smiled back.

Her eyes twinkled knowingly. “Alex, right?”

I nodded, and she handed me a tray. “He’s upstairs. Would you mind taking this to him? Maybe he’ll actually eat this time.”

I paused. “Is everything okay? You seem... worried.”

Her smile faded. “He’s not been himself lately. He had been unusually quiet and distant. He hasn’t even gone to church, and you know how he is with his mom.”

I gave her a soft nod. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him.”

With the tray in hand, I made my way upstairs. His door was ajar. Inside, Alex sat hunched over his sketchpad, headphones on, completely lost in his world. I placed the tray gently on the bed and walked closer, drawn to the detail in his art.

I leaned in and tugged his headphones off. His eyes snapped up to mine, startled. But what caught me off guard was how much he'd changed. The bruises were gone. His face glowed, and his hair was now trimmed close in a clean Afro cut that sharpened his features. And his lips... full, inviting, and more than I remembered. My breath caught.

"Mun?” His voice jolted me.

"Huh?” I blinked.

"When did you get here?” he asked, his brows slightly raised.

"I brought your food.” I said, clearing my throat, obviously trying to get past his question.

He eyed the tray. “Mrs. Grace sent you?”

"She’s worried. You haven’t eaten all day.”

"I wasn’t hungry,” he muttered.

"Alex, you can’t keep shutting everyone out.”

His gaze flicked to mine, in a quiet and twisted way. “Mun... I need space,” he said softly, but it sounded like he had just told me to back off in a polite way, which hurt me more.

I thought I could actually shake it off but... Those words hit harder than I expected. My chest tightened. “You want space?” I repeated, my voice shaky.

He looked down on the bed as if the words he said were plastered on it, guilt clouding his eyes. “I’m sorry about what happened last time. I shouldn’t have let it go that far.”

Tears burned my eyes, but I forced them down. “What are you saying? Wait, that, what happened meant nothing? Didn't you feel anything?”

"It was the heat of the moment,” he said quietly. “That doesn’t mean it was love.”

My heart broke. Just like that. For a second, I wished I could just scream at him. But...

I turned away. I'm not hearing this... not from him... I just needed to escape. I turned to leave, but he reached for my arm, his hand gently wrapping around it.

"Are you crying?” he asked softly.

Seriously? Was he really asking me that? Just how dumb could this jerk be? He said those words to me, and he didn't even know how cruel they sounded.

I shook my head, trying to pull away.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked again, his voice raw.

I swallowed hard. “How could you?” I whispered, my voice already breaking slightly.

His eyes searched for mine, as if just now, realizing the depth of my pain had become unbearable for him. “Mun... do you have feelings for me?”

I stepped back, shaking free from his grip. “You gave me so many signs, Lex. You made me believe you felt the same way that I felt.” I put a lot of emphasis on the "I", just enough to let him know it didn't just start today, not even yesterday. I had practically loved this guy from the very beginning, and his stupid a** doesn't even know it.

He rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I’m just... not ready. There’s too much going on in my life.”

I let out a dry laugh. “You didn’t mean to? Right.”

I pointed to the tray. “Mrs. Grace made that for you. She’s worried you'd die starving. Maybe try eating for her sake at least.”

I turned, forcing a smile through the ache in my chest, and walked out. Part of me wished he’d call after me, or stop me, but he didn’t. I made it all the way to my car before the tears finally came. And when they did, they didn’t stop... until there were none left.

But... Why does it still feel like part of me was aching for him?