EPISODE 12: Small Steps Forward
1090 Words
Another day at university had finally come to an end.
The evening sky had long faded into darkness, and the quiet neighborhood was illuminated only by the warm glow of streetlights and the moon hanging high above.
Fresh from his shower, Noah lay on his bed wearing a loose white T-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. His damp hair rested against the pillow as he stared blankly at the ceiling.
He had finished his assignments.
Had eaten dinner with his mother.
Even spent some time watching television with her before retreating to his room.
Yet...
Sleep refused to come.
With a quiet sigh, he reached for his phone on the bedside table.
Almost without thinking...
His finger tapped on Ethan's name.
Their conversation immediately filled the screen.
The very first message.
Ethan: Good morning, sleepyhead. ❤️
A faint smile appeared on Noah's lips.
He slowly scrolled upward.
Photos from their first date.
Voice notes they had sent each other during lectures.
Random selfies.
Memes.
Inside jokes no one else would understand.
Arguments that always ended with one of them apologizing within minutes.
Then...
Their anniversary pictures.
Noah's thumb froze over the screen.
His eyes lingered on Ethan's smiling face.
"...You already knew..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"...Didn't you?"
His smile slowly disappeared.
Two weeks.
That was what Ethan had said.
He had been thinking about asking for space for two whole weeks.
Which meant...
When they celebrated their anniversary...
When Noah had been laughing.
Taking pictures.
Planning future trips together.
Talking excitedly about what they would do after graduation...
Ethan had already been carrying those thoughts.
A lump formed in Noah's throat.
For days...
He had opened this conversation every single night.
Hoping.
Waiting.
Praying.
That Ethan would suddenly send him a message.
Something simple.
"Can we talk?"
"I miss you."
"Come see me."
Anything.
But the screen had remained silent.
Every.
Single.
Night.
Noah slowly locked his phone before pressing it gently against his chest.
His eyes closed.
"I can't keep doing this..."
He whispered it more to himself than anyone else.
After a long moment, he unlocked his phone again.
His thumb hovered over Ethan's chat.
His chest tightened.
He wasn't ready to erase two years of memories.
He wasn't even sure he ever would be.
So instead...
He quietly removed Ethan's conversation from the top of his messages.
A small action.
One that most people wouldn't think twice about.
But to Noah...
It felt like saying goodbye to the hope he'd been clinging to.
He placed the phone back on the bedside table.
A single tear escaped the corner of his eye.
"...Goodnight, Ethan."
It was the first night...
He chose not to wait for a message that wasn't coming.
---
The next morning...
Across the city...
Liam sat inside one of the lecture halls at his university.
Being a final-year student, he had built quite the reputation over the years.
Responsible.
Dependable.
Calm under pressure.
Whenever there was a group assignment, everyone wanted Liam on their team.
Today, his project group was discussing their final-year presentation.
One of his teammates stood at the front of the table.
"So if we finish the financial projections by Friday, we'll have enough time to rehearse before—"
"Liam?"
No response.
His eyes remained fixed on the notebook in front of him.
Another classmate waved a hand.
"Liam."
Still nothing.
Finally...
Someone snapped their fingers.
"Earth to Liam."
He blinked and looked up.
"Hm?"
The entire table stared at him.
One of his closest friends folded his arms.
"You've been staring at that notebook for almost five minutes."
Liam looked down.
The page was completely blank.
"...Have I?"
A girl sitting across from him laughed.
"Our Mr. Perfect is buffering."
Everyone around the table laughed.
Liam rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile.
"My bad."
One of the boys leaned forward.
"Alright..."
"Who's she?"
Liam frowned.
"What?"
"The girl."
"The one occupying your thoughts."
"There isn't one."
"Oh, come on."
"You've never spaced out during a meeting before."
Another friend chuckled.
"If it's not a girl..."
"...Maybe it's a guy."
The room erupted with laughter.
Liam laughed as well, shaking his head.
"You people seriously need new material."
"Then explain why you've been smiling to yourself all morning."
"I haven't."
"You have."
Liam opened his mouth to argue.
Then stopped.
Had he?
Before anyone could tease him further, their lecturer walked in, ending the conversation.
But throughout the lecture...
One sentence refused to leave Liam's mind.
"Maybe it's a guy."
Impossible.
He had never been attracted to a man before.
Not once.
So why...
Why did Noah keep appearing in his thoughts?
---
Two days later...
Liam didn't have any lectures scheduled.
As he did whenever his university timetable allowed, he drove to his late father's company.
Graduation was only months away.
Once he completed his degree...
He would officially begin taking over the company his father had spent decades building.
For now, he was still learning.
Observing.
Preparing himself for the responsibility that awaited him.
Several senior executives greeted him respectfully as he entered the conference room.
The weekly strategy meeting began.
Graphs appeared on the projector.
Quarterly reports were discussed.
Investment opportunities were reviewed.
Normally...
Liam would have been leading half the discussion.
Instead...
"...Mr. Liam?"
The finance director smiled politely.
"I believe that's the third time I've had to repeat those numbers."
Liam blinked.
Realizing everyone in the room was looking at him.
He offered an apologetic smile.
"My apologies."
The older man chuckled.
"Don't worry."
"We all have days when our minds are somewhere else."
Liam nodded.
"Thank you."
The meeting continued.
But despite his best efforts...
His concentration refused to cooperate.
Without warning...
Noah's face appeared in his mind once again.
His shy smile.
The sound of his laughter in the car.
The peaceful expression on his sleeping face.
Then...
Another image.
Noah crying in the club.
Begging someone not to leave him.
Liam unconsciously tightened his grip around the pen in his hand.
"What is happening to me?"
He barely knew Noah.
Yet somehow...
That gentle young man occupied his thoughts far more than he should.
---
That night...
In different parts of the city...
Two people stood by their bedroom windows.
One was slowly learning to stop waiting.
The other was slowly realizing that someone he barely knew had already found a place in his heart.
Neither of them knew it yet.
But every small step they took...
Was bringing them closer to one another.
- Writer
