Falling for the Enemy

The space Between Us

Episode 7: The Space Between Us**

Anastasia sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her phone. Neo had texted her earlier, a simple message asking if she wanted to meet up to study. She hadn’t responded. Not because she didn’t want to see him—quite the opposite, in fact. She wanted to see him too much.

It scared her.

Her feelings for Neo had grown into something she could no longer ignore. Every time they were together, she felt it—the warmth, the pull. It was more than just friendship. But how could she admit that to herself? More importantly, how could she admit it to him?

She tossed her phone onto the bed, frustrated with herself. She had always been so focused, so sure of her path. Now, everything felt uncertain. Neo was getting under her skin, making her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

She glanced at the time. He’d be waiting at the library, expecting her to show up. Anastasia let out a sigh and grabbed her bag. She wasn’t ready to talk about her feelings, but she also couldn’t avoid him forever.

By the time she arrived at the library, Neo was already there, sitting at their usual table with his headphones in, typing away on his laptop. He looked up when she walked in, his face lighting up with a smile that made her heart skip a beat.

“There you are,” he said, pulling out one of his earbuds. “Thought you were ditching me.”

“I almost did,” she muttered, sitting down across from him.

Neo raised an eyebrow, his smile fading slightly. “Everything okay?”

Anastasia hesitated, unsure of how to answer. How could she explain that she was avoiding him because she was starting to care too much? Instead, she shrugged. “Just a lot on my mind.”

Neo studied her for a moment, his usual playful demeanor replaced with concern. “You know you can talk to me, right? If something’s bothering you.”

Anastasia looked away, her chest tightening. That was exactly the problem—Neo had become the person she wanted to talk to, the person she trusted. And it was dangerous.

“I’m fine,” she said quietly, opening her laptop and pretending to focus on their project. “Let’s just get this done.”

Neo didn’t push her, but she could feel his eyes on her every now and then as they worked in silence. The air between them felt heavier than usual, and Anastasia couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew something was wrong. He always seemed to know.

After an hour of working, Neo finally broke the silence. “Do you want to take a break? Maybe grab some coffee?”

Antastia’s first instinct was to refuse. Spending more time with him was the last thing she needed right now. But when she looked up and saw the concern in his eyes, she couldn’t bring herself to say no.

“Sure,” she said softly, closing her laptop.

They walked to the campus café in comfortable silence. Neo grabbed their usual table while Anastasia ordered their drinks. When she sat down with the coffee, Neo leaned forward, his expression serious.

“Okay, what’s going on?” he asked, cutting straight to the point.

Anastasia frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been acting weird for a while now. Distant. Is it something I did?”

Her heart clenched at the sincerity in his voice. He looked genuinely worried, and that made it even harder to lie.

“No,” she said quickly. “It’s not you. It’s just… me.”

Neo didn’t look convinced. “Anastasia, if something’s bothering you, I want to help. You don’t have to deal with everything alone.”

She swallowed hard, her throat tightening. The way he looked at her—like he actually cared—was too much. She wanted to tell him everything, to explain why she had been pulling away. But how could she? How could she admit that she was falling for him when she didn’t even understand it herself?

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice wavering slightly. “I just… I need some space.”

Neo leaned back, hurt flashing briefly in his eyes. “Space?”

Anastasia bit her lip, feeling awful for pushing him away, but she didn’t know what else to do. “Yeah. Just… for a little while.”

Neo was quiet for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then he nodded slowly, his eyes dropping to his coffee cup. “Okay. If that’s what you need.”

The silence between them was suffocating. Anastasia could feel the distance growing, and it tore her apart. She wanted to reach out, to take it back, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t ready.

They finished their coffee in silence, and when they finally left the café, Neo gave her a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I’ll see you around,” he said, his voice soft.

Anastasia nodded, watching as he walked away. She stood there, feeling like something important had just slipped through her fingers, and she wasn’t sure how to get it back.