SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FRIENDS AND FOREVER

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Linda’s POV

I didn’t think it would feel this hard just to talk to him.

We used to talk about everything.

Anything.

Now I was standing outside the classroom, waiting, like I didn’t know how to start a simple conversation anymore.

I adjusted my bag slightly, taking a slow breath.

This shouldn’t feel like this.

It’s Noah.

But things weren’t the same anymore.

And pretending they were hadn’t helped.

Avoiding him hadn’t helped either.

If anything, it made everything worse.

So I stayed.

Even when part of me wanted to leave before he came out.

When Noah finally stepped out, he saw me immediately.

And paused.

That small pause said everything.

We weren’t normal yet.

“Linda,” he said.

I nodded slightly.

“Can we talk?” I asked.

He didn’t hesitate this time. “Yeah.”

We walked a little down the corridor.

Not far, just enough to have space without making it feel like something serious was about to happen.

For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.

But the silence didn’t feel as heavy as before.

Just… uncertain.

“I don’t want things to keep being like this,” I said finally.

My voice was calm but honest.

Noah exhaled softly. “Me neither.”

I nodded.

Because that part was obvious.

We both felt it.

“We’ve been avoiding each other,” I added.

“Yeah,” he admitted.

“And it’s making everything worse.”

Another nod.

I looked at him properly.

“I miss my friend.”

The words came out simply.

No pressure.

No expectation.

Just truth.

Noah’s expression softened immediately.

“I miss you too,” he said.

And just hearing that made something in my chest ease slightly.

“I know things got weird,” I continued.

I didn’t say why.

I didn’t need to.

We both knew.

“I didn’t handle it well,” he said.

I shook my head lightly.

“It wasn’t just you.”

Because it wasn’t.

I said something that changed things.

He didn’t respond the way I expected.

And everything after that just… fell apart quietly.

There was a pause.

But this time, it didn’t feel uncomfortable.

It felt like we were actually understanding each other.

“I don’t want to lose this,” I said.

I meant it.

Not just the conversations.

Not just the routine.

But the way things used to feel.

Easy.

Safe.

“You won’t,” Noah said.

I looked at him carefully.

“You’re sure?”He nodded.

“Yeah. I don’t want that either.”

And this time, I believed him.

I let out a small breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“Then we fix it,” I said.

Not a question.

A decision.

He nodded slowly.

“Yeah… we fix it.”

I hesitated for a second.

Then, he added, “We don’t have to pretend nothing happened.”

He looked at me, listening.

“But we also don’t have to let it ruin everything.”

That seemed to settle something in him.

“Yeah,” he said. “That makes sense.”“And no more avoiding,” I added.

A small, almost real smile touched his face.

“No more avoiding.”

Something about that felt… right.

Not perfect.

Not like before.

But better.

I shifted slightly, feeling lighter.

Not completely okay.

But no longer stuck.

“So…” I said, glancing at him. “Are we good?”

The question came out softer than I expected.

He looked at me for a second.

Then nodded.

“Yeah. We’re good.”

didn’t know what to say,” I continued.

“But I should’ve said something.”

She nodded slightly.

“I know,” she said.

And somehow, that didn’t feel like blame.

It felt like understanding.

“I didn’t want to mess things up,” I added.

She gave a small, knowing look.

“And we still ended up here,” she said.

I almost laughed.

Because she wasn’t wrong.

“But we’re fixing it now,” I said.

And this time, it didn’t feel like something I was just saying.

It felt real.

We started walking back toward the classroom.

Side by side.

Not forced.Not awkward.

Just… normal.

There was a small silence again.

But this one felt different.

Comfortable.

Familiar.

“Feels weird,” I said.

She glanced at me. “What does?”

“Talking like this again,” I admitted.

She smiled slightly.

“Good weird or bad weird?”

I thought about it for a second.

“Good weird.”

She nodded.

“Yeah… I get that.”

We reached the classroom door.And for a second, we both paused.

Not because something was wrong.

But because something had changed.

Not in a bad way.

Just… differently.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” she said lightly.

I smiled.

“Wasn’t planning to.”

And that was it.

No big moment.

No dramatic ending.

It's just something simple.

But sometimes…

Simple is what matters most.