Chapter 5: Midnight Conversations
798 Words
The first month in New York passed faster than Ava expected.
Fashion school was everything she had dreamed of and everything she feared.
Assignments piled up.
Deadlines came without warning.
Some of her classmates seemed to have been born with talent stitched into their DNA.
More than once, Ava had found herself staring at someone else's work and wondering if she belonged there at all.
Tonight was one of those nights.
Her sketchbook lay open across her desk.
Half-finished designs covered the pages.
Crumpled papers littered the floor.
And her frustration was growing by the second.
With a groan, she dropped her pencil.
"I quit."
Mia looked up from the couch.
"You say that every Tuesday."
"It's Thursday."
"See? You're improving."
Ava laughed despite herself.
Then her phone lit up.
Ethan Calling.
Her stomach performed an embarrassing little flip.
Mia immediately pointed.
"There he is."
Ava grabbed a cushion and threw it at her roommate before answering.
"Hello?"
"Wow."
Ethan sounded impressed.
"What?"
"You answered."
She frowned.
"Shouldn't I?"
"I figured you'd be busy becoming the world's next fashion icon."
Ava leaned back in her chair.
"Unfortunately, the world is safe for another day."
His laugh drifted through the phone.
The sound made her smile automatically.
That was becoming a problem.
A dangerous one.
Because lately, Ethan seemed to be everywhere.
In her thoughts.
In her conversations.
Even in her dreams.
And Ava wasn't entirely sure what to do about it.
For the next hour, they talked about everything and nothing.
A difficult professor.
A disastrous cooking attempt Ethan refused to give details about.
A customer who had mistaken Mia for a famous actress.
By the end of the call, Ava's sides hurt from laughing.
She couldn't remember the last time talking to someone had felt this easy.
"So," Ethan said eventually.
"What?"
"What would your mom think?"
The question caught her off guard.
Silence filled the line.
Ava stared out her window.
The city lights blurred slightly.
"I think she'd be proud."
The answer came quietly.
"Not because of fashion school."
Ethan remained silent.
Listening.
"She always wanted me to stop being afraid."
A small smile touched Ava's lips.
"I spent so much of my life waiting for the right moment to start living."
"And now?"
"Now I'm trying."
The silence that followed felt different.
Heavier.
More personal.
When Ethan spoke again, his voice was softer.
"She would be proud."
Something tightened painfully in Ava's chest.
Because she believed him.
Midnight arrived without either of them noticing.
Most people would have ended the call hours ago.
Neither seemed willing to hang up.
Outside, rain began tapping softly against Ava's window.
The city shimmered beneath the streetlights.
"Can I ask you something?" she said.
"Sure."
"What are you afraid of?"
The line went quiet.
Too quiet.
Ava immediately regretted asking.
"You don't have to answer."
"No."
His voice sounded distant suddenly.
"It's okay."
Another pause.
Then:
"Regret."
Ava frowned.
"Regret?"
"Making a mistake you can never take back."
The words felt strangely specific.
Like they meant something.
Something important.
"What kind of mistake?"
A humorless laugh escaped him.
"The worst kind."
A chill ran down Ava's spine.
She couldn't explain why.
The conversation had felt warm and comfortable moments ago.
Now something felt different.
Off.
As if Ethan had accidentally revealed more than he intended.
Before she could ask another question, he changed the subject.
Too quickly.
Too deliberately.
And Ava noticed.
After ending the call, Ava lay awake staring at the ceiling.
Rain continued falling outside.
Her mind replayed the conversation.
Regret.
Making a mistake you can never take back.
The words refused to leave her alone.
Maybe she was overthinking.
Maybe Ethan had simply been talking about business.
Or family.
Or life in general.
Still...
Something about it bothered her.
Eventually exhaustion pulled her to sleep.
But even then, the uneasy feeling remained.
Across the city, Ethan sat alone on the balcony of his apartment.
His untouched coffee had long gone cold.
The call with Ava should have made him happy.
Instead, guilt gnawed at him.
Because for one hour tonight, he had forgotten.
Forgotten the truth.
Forgotten the secret.
Forgotten the inevitable heartbreak waiting ahead.
His phone buzzed.
A text message appeared.
Unknown Number: Tell her before someone else does.
Ethan's jaw tightened.
A second message arrived.
You know she deserves the truth.
His pulse quickened.
Only a handful of people knew.
And whoever was sending these messages was one of them.
For several seconds, he stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
This one made his blood run cold.
If you won't tell Ava what happened to her mother... I will.
The phone nearly slipped from his hand.
Because suddenly, the secret wasn't just threatening his relationship with Ava.
It was threatening everything.
- Writer
