Part 6
799 Words
Chapter Thirty-Two — The Wrong Moment
Aria didn’t mean to see them.
That was the worst part.
She was cutting through the arts building, phone in hand, half-listening to a voice note from Mila, when she looked up—and there he was.
Cassian.
Laughing.
His hand resting casually at the small of a girl’s back. Too familiar. Too easy. The girl leaned in, said something that made him smile wider than he had all week.
Aria stopped walking.
Her chest tightened in a way that felt stupid and sharp all at once.
She didn’t wait to see more.
She turned around and walked away like the ground hadn’t just shifted under her feet.
Chapter Thirty-Three — Assumptions Hurt Faster Than Truth
By nightfall, anger had settled in.
Not the explosive kind. The quiet, simmering one that made everything feel deliberate.
Cassian texted.
You okay?
She stared at the screen. Deleted three replies. Sent nothing.
Another message came.
Did I do something?
That one stung.
She laughed under her breath, bitter.
Of course he’d ask that. Like it wasn’t obvious.
She put her phone face-down and went to bed angry.
Chapter Thirty-Four — Cold War
Aria avoided him.
It took effort, which only made her angrier.
When they crossed paths, she was polite. Distant. Controlled. Back to the version of herself that didn’t let people get close enough to disappoint her.
Cassian noticed immediately.
“You’re icing me out,” he said after class, keeping his voice low.
She didn’t stop walking. “You’re imagining things.”
“Aria—”
“Don’t,” she cut in. “I’m not in the mood.”
“For what?”
“For pretending,” she said, finally turning to look at him. Her eyes were flat. Closed off. “Go enjoy your time with whoever you want.”
She walked away before he could respond.
Cassian stood there, stunned.
Chapter Thirty-Five — Enemies, Revisited
The distance grew teeth.
They snapped during group meetings. Interrupted each other in seminars. Disagreed just to disagree.
It felt familiar. Comfortable. Safer than caring.
Rowan noticed first.
“You either broke up,” he said to Cassian, “or you’re lying to yourself.”
Cassian dragged a hand down his face. “I don’t even know what I did.”
Across campus, Mila cornered Aria.
“You’re spiraling,” Mila said. “Talk to him.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Aria replied tightly.
Mila squinted. “That’s not true.”
Aria didn’t answer.
Chapter Thirty-Six — The Reveal
The truth came out accidentally.
As most truths do.
Cassian walked into the café with the girl from before—laughing again, arguing over pastries this time.
Aria felt that familiar ache flare.
Then—
“Cass!” the girl said loudly. “If you don’t tell your cousin the truth, I swear I will.”
Cousin.
The word hit Aria like a slap.
Cassian groaned. “Leah, please.”
Leah grinned. “What? She deserves to know you’re terrible at communicating.”
Aria froze.
Everything replayed in her head at once. The assumptions. The silence. The coldness.
Her stomach dropped.
Chapter Thirty-Seven — Confrontation
Cassian found her later.
She was sitting on the steps, staring at nothing.
“So,” he said carefully. “You want to explain why you’ve been punishing me for a crime I didn’t commit?”
She didn’t look up. “That was your cousin.”
“Yes,” he said. “It was.”
Silence.
“I should’ve asked,” she admitted quietly.
“Yes,” he agreed. “You should have.”
That hurt more than if he’d yelled.
She finally looked at him. “I didn’t want to look stupid.”
He exhaled. “You looked hurt.”
She swallowed. “I was.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight — Lovers Don’t Mean Safe
They didn’t fix it instantly.
They sat there, tension thick, emotions raw.
“I don’t cheat,” Cassian said. “And I don’t lie.”
“I know that now.”
“But you didn’t trust me then.”
She nodded. “I panicked.”
He was quiet for a moment. Then softer, “Next time, don’t turn me into the enemy without letting me speak.”
Her voice cracked. “Next time, don’t assume I’m stronger than I am.”
That landed.
He reached for her hand—not certain she’d let him.
She did.
Chapter Thirty-Nine — Not Enemies
They weren’t enemies again.
But they weren’t untouched either.
Trust bent. Didn’t break.
Later, as they walked back together, Aria said quietly, “Your cousin is very loud.”
Cassian snorted. “You have no idea.”
She smiled, small but real.
Love wasn’t the absence of conflict.
It was choosing not to weaponize it.
- Writer
