The First Fight
919 Words
Sophia should have known peace wouldn’t last forever.
Not because Adrian changed.
Because she did.
Or rather—
because loving someone made old fears louder.
And unfortunately, fear had lived inside Sophia far longer than love ever had.
⸻
Three days after the café conversation, Sophia sat inside her office trying unsuccessfully to focus on a budget presentation while her phone buzzed repeatedly beside her laptop.
Adrian.
Again.
Sophia stared at the screen.
Then ignored it.
Not because she wanted to.
Because she needed space to think.
Unfortunately, Adrian had started noticing her moods too easily lately.
Dangerous man.
Her assistant glanced toward the phone.
“You know ignoring him dramatically doesn’t make you mysterious.”
“I’m working.”
“You’ve opened the same slide four times.”
Rude.
Sophia rubbed tiredly at her forehead.
The problem was not Adrian.
The problem was that everything between them suddenly felt serious now.
Real.
And the more real it became, the louder old fears returned.
What if this changes later?
What if he leaves too?
What if she becomes like her mother without realizing it?
Her phone buzzed again.
Did something happen?
Sophia’s chest tightened immediately.
Because Adrian always noticed.
Always paid attention.
And somehow that care itself had started frightening her.
⸻
That evening, Adrian waited downstairs outside her office building.
Sophia spotted him immediately through the glass entrance.
Hands in pockets.
Sleeves rolled slightly.
Patient expression.
Always patient.
The sight alone made guilt twist sharply inside her chest.
Because she knew she was pulling away again.
And worse—
she knew why.
The moment she stepped outside, Adrian studied her carefully.
“You disappeared today.”
Sophia crossed her arms automatically.
“I was working.”
“You ignored six messages.”
“That sounds obsessive when you count them.”
A faint smile almost appeared on his face.
Almost.
Then faded when he realized she wasn’t joking normally today.
“What’s wrong?”
There it was again.
Straight to the center of things.
Sophia looked away toward Jakarta traffic moving behind him.
“Nothing.”
Lie.
Adrian exhaled softly.
“Sophia.”
The gentleness in his voice made irritation flare unexpectedly inside her chest.
Because why was he always so calm?
How did he keep making difficult emotions sound manageable?
“You know what?” she said suddenly. “I think maybe this is moving too fast.”
Silence.
Immediate silence.
Adrian went still.
Not angry.
Just surprised.
Sophia instantly regretted the words.
But fear kept speaking anyway.
“I mean…” She laughed weakly. “Look at us.”
“You’re practically taking care of me emotionally at this point.”
Adrian’s expression shifted slightly.
“Sophia—”
“No, listen.” Her voice tightened. “This is exactly how dependency starts.”
There it was.
The real fear.
Adrian watched her quietly for a long moment.
Then softly:
“Is depending on someone always a bad thing to you?”
Sophia’s throat tightened immediately.
“Yes.”
Too fast.
Too honest.
Pain flickered briefly across Adrian’s face before he hid it.
And somehow that hurt Sophia immediately.
But she couldn’t stop now.
“My mother depended on my father for everything,” she whispered. “Money. Stability. Emotional survival.”
“And when he hurt her, she still stayed because she didn’t know how not to.”
The city noise around them suddenly felt distant.
Sophia wrapped her arms tighter around herself.
“I promised myself I would never become that woman.”
Adrian’s gaze softened.
“You’re not your mother.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes,” he said quietly. “I do.”
Sophia looked away immediately because suddenly emotions were climbing too high again.
Dangerous.
“I just need space to think.”
The sentence landed heavily between them.
And for the first time since meeting Adrian—
distance appeared.
Not physical.
Emotional.
Small.
But real.
Adrian stayed silent for several seconds before nodding once.
“Okay.”
No anger.
No manipulation.
No guilt.
Just okay.
And somehow that nearly made Sophia cry on the spot.
Because healthy people respected boundaries.
Even when it hurt them.
The realization made everything worse.
Adrian stepped back slightly.
“You want me to stop calling for a while?”
The fact that he asked instead of assuming nearly shattered her composure completely.
Sophia hated how much kindness hurt sometimes.
“I don’t know,” she admitted quietly.
Adrian nodded once again.
Then softly:
“Alright.”
No pressure.
Still no pressure.
Even now.
Sophia suddenly wanted him to fight harder.
Argue.
Demand reassurance.
Something toxic.
Something familiar.
Instead Adrian just looked sad.
And somehow that felt infinitely worse.
Because for the first time—
Sophia realized healthy love could still hurt people accidentally too.
The thought broke something open painfully inside her chest.
Adrian studied her quietly one last time.
Then:
“I’ll give you space,” he said softly.
“But Sophia?”
Her heartbeat tightened.
“You don’t become weak just because someone loves you gently.”
The sentence settled heavily between them.
And before Sophia could respond—
Adrian walked away.
Not dramatically.
Not angrily.
Just quietly.
Like he was respecting her wishes even if it hurt him.
Sophia stood frozen beneath Jakarta’s evening lights watching him leave.
And suddenly—
panic hit her chest hard enough to steal her breath.
Because for the first time since meeting Adrian—
he was walking away when she wasn’t ready.
- Writer
