CHAPTER 17 — THE CONVERSATION THAT DOESN'T FIX ANYTHING
536 Words
The next morning, she meets Keon behind the side building — the same place where everything cracked days earlier.
He’s already there.
Hood down.
Hair messy.
Eyes tired in a way she’s never seen.
He turns when he hears her footsteps.
And the heartbreak on his face almost knocks the air out of her.
Keon: “Thanks for coming.”
Malisa nods.
Silence swells between them like fog.
Keon exhales shakily. “I didn’t know you felt… like that. Yesterday.”
She swallows. “I didn’t want you to worry.”
He looks at her sharply. “But I want to worry about you. That’s what hurts. You think I don’t want to be there for you, but you’re the one who kept saying you were fine.”
Her breath catches.
Because he’s right.
But so is she.
Malisa: “I didn’t want to add to whatever you’re going through.”
Keon freezes.
Completely.
Then he looks away, jaw tight.
Keon: “I should’ve told you sooner.”
Her chest tightens.
So he is hiding something.
Malisa steps closer. “Keon… whatever it is, you don’t have to deal with it alone.”
He shakes his head.
Not dismissively.
But like the truth scares him.
Keon: “It’s family stuff. Money stuff. Stress I didn’t want to dump on you.”
Malisa: “Why not?”
Keon: “Because you already carry too much. And I don’t want to be another weight.”
Her heart breaks a little.
Malisa: “You’re not a weight. You’re… you.”
He looks at her for a long moment — raw, vulnerable, tired.
Keon: “I love you.”
The words hit her like a soft punch to the ribs.
She whispers, “I love you too.”
He steps closer.
Close enough for her to feel his warmth.
But then he stops.
Like he remembers they’re on a break.
Like the distance between them isn’t physical — it’s emotional.
Keon: “I don’t want space. I hate it.”
Malisa: “I do too.”
Keon: “Then why’re we doing this?”
She looks down, fingers digging into her sleeves.
Malisa: “Because loving each other doesn’t fix the parts of us that are breaking.”
He closes his eyes.
Pain etched all over his face.
Keon: “I want to be better for you.”
Malisa: “And I want to be better for myself.”
Silence.
Not angry.
Not cold.
Just sad.
Like two people choosing the right thing, even though it hurts more than the wrong thing.
Finally, Keon nods.
Slow.
Reluctant.
Keon: “I’ll give you space. But I’m not going anywhere.”
Her chest warms.
Because she believes him.
Even if everything else feels uncertain.
As she walks away, she sees Rico leaning against the courtyard railing.
He’s watching her.
Not in a jealous way.
Not nosy.
Just worried.
Their eyes meet.
He gives her the softest nod — a silent, You good?
She nods back.
But her heart feels like it’s being pulled in two directions.
One by the familiar love of someone she’s known forever.
The other by the growing warmth of someone who showed up right when she was breaking.
- Writer
