Straight or Not

Chapter 3: "She's Lonely" The Replaying Voice From Last Night.

Episode 9: "Almost Too Normal"

MIA POV

Sharing morning bites...

My eyes kept drifting to her lips.

Sigh.

Her voice from last night kept replaying in my head.

"I thought I was okay, but deep down I feel lonely."

Yeah.

She said that before...

Ugh.

I couldn't erase that kiss from my head.

I was so helpless.

Our eyes locked, and I quickly looked away. The AC was on, yet I still felt hot.

"Stay with me," I said.

I didn't want her to leave. I wanted to stop her from feeling lonely, even if I couldn't tell her the real reason.

"Why?"

Why?

I never thought she'd actually ask me that.

"I want you to stay with me. I need your company. I'll be lonely and bored if you leave."

That was all I could manage.

"Okay, fine!"

Yes!

It worked.

I actually managed to convince her to stay.

"Do you need anything?" I asked.

She probably wouldn't need much. She could use whatever she wanted from my place.

"Yeah. I need my skincare products."

"Oh, okay. Text me the names and brands. I'll get them for you."

She smiled.

And just like that, my heart did that stupid thing again.

I looked away.

Get yourself together, Mia.

INTRO: OUR WORK LIFE

I don't stress much about work. I have people working under me, and I own an eatery, so I don't have to be there every minute of the day.

Zoey, on the other hand, owns a studio for makeovers and photo shoots. She has staff too, so neither of us has to spend every waking hour working.

For the next few days, we simply stayed together.

We ate.

We laughed.

We watched movies.

We argued over the smallest things.

It felt normal.

Almost too normal.

Because every time she smiled at me, I remembered that kiss.

And I wondered if she remembered it too.

Episode 10: "The Dream"

ZOEY POV

A few days had passed, and I still couldn't remember much from that night.

I knew I had gotten drunk.

I remembered dancing with Ryder.

I remembered sitting with him and talking.

After that...

Nothing.

My memory was completely blank.

I tried forcing myself to remember, but the harder I tried, the more my head hurt.

Maybe it's better that I don't remember.

Besides, I think Mia is into that girl from the club.

Teagan.

I didn't want to ruin anything for her, so I decided to let it go.

But then something happened.

FLASHBACK - DREAM

"I want you," she whispered.

I looked into her eyes.

"I want you too."

Our faces moved closer.

Her lips brushed mine, slow and soft.

I closed my eyes.

For some reason, being this close to her felt completely natural.

She kissed me again, and I pulled her closer.

My heart was racing.

Everything felt warm.

Everything felt real.

"I don't think I can hold back," she whispered.

"Then don't."

She smiled.

Our lips met again, and I felt myself getting lost in the moment.

Then—

"Zoey."

I ignored the voice.

"Zoey."

I frowned.

"Zoey, wake up."

My eyes suddenly opened.

I stared at Mia.

"What?"

She looked at me strangely.

"What's that look on your face?"

"What look?"

"You look disappointed."

I blinked.

"Hmm..."

She smiled teasingly.

"Must've been a wild dream."

"Yeah..."

I gave her a small, embarrassed smile.

"It was."

"Tell me about it."

"Nope."

I rolled my eyes.

"That's your punishment for interrupting my sweet dream."

She laughed.

I laughed too.

But something felt strange.

Why did that dream feel so real?

And why was Mia the person in it?

I shook the thought away.

It was just a dream.

Nothing more.

BACK TO REALITY

Ever since I dreamed about making out with Mia, I've been having these weird feelings.

Sometimes I get awkward around her.

Sometimes I catch myself staring at her for no reason.

Sometimes I feel like I want to be closer to her.

And sometimes...

I have thoughts that make absolutely no sense.

What's wrong with me?

Why am I suddenly noticing everything about her?

Her smile.

Her voice.

Her lips.

Even her perfume.

I groaned and covered my face.

No.

This was ridiculous.

She's my best friend.

Maybe I'm just overthinking everything because of that stupid dream.

Yeah.

That's it.

I think I should leave her place.

I need some time alone to process these feelings.

"Mia, I'm leaving tomorrow."

Her expression changed immediately.

"Why? I thought we agreed on a few weeks. It's only been a few days."

"I know. But I need to go to my office and check how business is going."

"Are you sure that's it?"

I looked at her.

"Because you sound like you just want to be alone."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah."

She looked down.

"I'm sorry if I did something wrong."

"No, you didn't."

I quickly shook my head.

"I just need some space to think things through on my own."

She nodded.

"Okay."

For some reason, that one word made me feel guilty.

And I didn't even know why.

Episode 11: "Some People Are Worth Fighting For"

MIA POV

"Okay."

That's all I could say.

The next morning, I insisted on driving her home.

I didn't understand why she suddenly wanted to leave.

For the past few days, we'd had the best time.

At least, I thought we did.

The drive was mostly silent.

I kept glancing at her.

She was staring out the window.

I wanted to ask her what was wrong.

But something told me not to.

We eventually reached her apartment.

I stayed for a few minutes before leaving.

Then my phone rang.

Ryder.

I stared at his name for a second before answering.

"Hey, Ryder. What's up?"

"Hey, Mia. I've been trying to reach Zoey, but it's not connecting."

"Oh. Probably poor network."

"Maybe."

There was a pause.

"That's not why I'm calling."

My stomach tightened.

"I need her address."

I frowned.

"Why?"

"I want to fix things."

I didn't say anything.

"I still love her, Mia."

His words cut straight through me.

I looked toward Zoey's apartment.

For a moment, I considered lying.

I could've told him I didn't know.

I could've protected her.

Maybe protected myself too.

But then I remembered Zoey telling me she was lonely.

I remembered the way she looked last night.

And I remembered the way she'd smiled whenever she talked about her past with Ryder.

I hated it.

But if he could make her happy...

Maybe I had to let him try.

I hesitated.

Then I sent him the address.

The second I pressed send, I regretted it.

Eek.

That was probably the hardest decision I'd ever made.

But I didn't want my selfish feelings to hurt her.

As long as it was Zoey, I was willing to sacrifice my own peace for her happiness.

If Ryder could bring her peace...

If he could make her happy...

Then I'd give her up.

Even if it hurt like hell.

---

A FEW DAYS LATER

I still thought about the kiss.

And the way Zoey had been acting before she left.

Something had changed.

I could feel it.

But I didn't know what.

Maybe she was confused.

Maybe I was imagining things.

Either way, I couldn't get her out of my head.

MATTEO POV

"What happened between you and Zoey?" I asked.

Ryder leaned back and sighed.

"You know... back in those days..."

He paused.

"Things weren't exactly simple."

RYDER - FLASHBACK

When I first met Zoey, she was playing hard to get with all the rich and naughty guys at school.

I won't lie.

I was one of those naughty guys.

I had money.

I had confidence.

And I was used to getting what I wanted.

But Zoey?

She didn't care.

That was what got me.

She didn't chase me.

She didn't care about my money.

She didn't care about my reputation.

She just...

ignored me.

And somehow, that made me want her even more.

I remember the first time she actually smiled at me.

I thought I'd won.

I was wrong.

Because that was when I started falling for her.

And by the time I realized how deep I was in...

I'd already messed everything up.

BACK TO PRESENT

"I loved her," I said quietly.

Matteo stared at me.

"Then why did you cheat?"

I looked away.

That question still hurt.

Because the truth was...

I didn't have a good answer.

And maybe that's what made losing Zoey hurt even more.

I had something real.

And I destroyed it myself.

Now I'm back.

And this time, I'm not planning to walk away.

Even if she hates me.

Even if she doesn't forgive me.

I'll make her see that I've changed.

Or at least...

I'll try.

Because some people are worth fighting for.

And Zoey was always that person for me.