somewhere in the middle
629 Words
Saturday mornings on campus were usually slow, peaceful—the kind of peace that came after the chaos of a Friday night party. For once, Emilia felt like she belonged in that stillness. No guilt. No fear. No masks.
But she wasn’t sure what came next.
She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, the memory of Liam’s kiss still fresh on her lips. It hadn’t been just a kiss—it had been a promise. One she hadn’t known how badly she needed.
A knock at the door pulled her out of her thoughts.
Zoey peeked in. Her hair was a mess, her eyeliner smudged, and she was holding a large iced coffee like it was an oxygen tank. "Tell me everything."
Emilia sat up, hugging her knees. "We kissed. In front of everyone."
Zoey screamed into her coffee cup. "You’re living the dream."
"It didn’t feel like a dream. It felt… real."
Zoey dropped onto the edge of the bed. "Then maybe it is."
---
Later that afternoon, Emilia met Liam at the botanical garden behind the science center—a hidden nook with winding paths, benches, and wildflowers that bloomed even in the colder months.
He was already there, sitting on a low stone wall, scribbling in a sketchbook. He looked up when he heard her footsteps.
"You came," he said, smiling.
"You always say that like you’re surprised."
"I guess I still haven’t gotten used to you choosing me."
She sat beside him. "It’s not a hard choice."
They fell into silence, the kind that felt like a warm blanket.
"I keep thinking it’s too soon to be this serious," Emilia said.
Liam looked at her. "Do you want it to be less serious?"
"No. That’s the problem. I want this. I want you. And it scares the hell out of me."
He reached for her hand. "Good. Because it scares me, too."
They sat with that fear between them—and didn’t let it push them apart.
---
Across campus, the whispers had started. About how Emilia had changed. About Liam’s sudden loyalty to one girl. About the way Chelsea had stormed out of the party like a scene from a soap opera.
In the dining hall, they walked in together. Not holding hands. Not making a show. Just walking like two people who finally understood what it meant to have someone on your side.
Chelsea sat at her usual table with two of her followers, her gaze fixed on them as they passed. But this time, she didn’t speak. She didn’t smirk. She just watched, jaw tight.
And Emilia didn’t look away.
---
That evening, they sat under the stars on the dorm rooftop. It was technically off-limits, but Zoey had a key (of course she did), and sometimes rules were meant to be broken.
Liam handed Emilia his jacket. She slipped it on and curled against him.
"Tell me something you’ve never told anyone," he said.
She took a breath. "When I was fourteen, I overheard a group of girls saying I’d be pretty if I just lost weight. I starved myself for weeks after that. No one noticed. Not even my mom."
Liam was quiet for a long time.
"You don’t have to ever do that again," he said finally. "You don’t owe beauty to anyone."
Emilia blinked back the sting in her eyes. "I know that now. But sometimes I still forget."
"Then I’ll remind you. Every day, if I have to."
They didn’t kiss that night. They didn’t need to.
Sometimes love wasn’t loud. Sometimes, it was just someone staying when it would’ve been easier to leave.
And somewhere in the middle of fear and hope, Emilia realized she was no longer chasing love.
She was standing in it.
- Writer
