Chapter 10
1002 Words
Saturday – 9:08 AM – Coffee Shop Near Campus
Aira tapped her fingers on the woodgrain table, watching Calix stir sugar into his drink with absent focus.
It had become their unofficial Saturday spot—small café, mellow music, warm light filtering through sheer curtains.
“You look distracted,” she said gently.
Calix blinked. “Do I?”
“You’ve stirred that cup like seven times.”
He laughed softly. “Sorry. Just… thinking.”
“About?”
He looked at her, the corner of his mouth lifting. “You.”
Aira rolled her eyes. “Cheesy.”
“But true,” he said, not backing down.
Aira sipped from her drink, cheeks warming.
Flashback – Aira’s POV (Earlier That Week)
> “I used to think slow love was boring.
Turns out… it’s safe.
It’s soft hands and steady eyes.
It’s knowing someone will still be there tomorrow.”
10:02 AM – Bookstore Detour
They ducked into the small bookstore beside the café. Aira walked straight to the poetry section while Calix explored the philosophy aisle.
He reappeared minutes later, holding a slim book of handwritten poems.
“No pressure,” he said. “But this reminded me of you.”
Aira took it, flipped through a few pages. One poem stopped her.
> “She was afraid of love because it always arrived as fire—
But now it arrives as rain.
Soft, patient, and willing to stay.”
She didn’t say anything.
She just bought the book.
2:47 PM – Dorm Lounge (Mira’s POV)
Mira sat on the couch, watching Aira reread the same page three times.
“You okay?” she asked.
Aira looked up. “Yeah. I just… I think I’m falling.”
Mira smiled. “Good.”
“But what if I mess this up?” Aira whispered. “What if I’m still too broken to hold something this whole?”
“You’re not broken,” Mira said firmly. “You’re healing. And healing people can love, too.”
5:34 PM – Calix’s POV – Rooftop
He stared out over the city skyline.
He wasn’t used to this—being the one someone was slowly choosing.
It scared him. Because for the first time, he had something to lose.
And that’s when the message came.
> LIANNE: You free tomorrow? Just coffee. Just friends. Promise.
He stared at the screen.
The calm was starting to shift.
Sunday – 10:27 AM – Coffee Shop Across Town
Lianne was already at the table when Calix arrived.
She smiled brightly, the same way she did back in their second year. “Hey, stranger.”
“Hey,” he said, sitting down across from her.
Silence hung between them for a beat—comfortable, but cautious.
“I meant it,” Lianne said. “This isn’t anything complicated. I just… wanted to say sorry. For how I disappeared.”
Calix looked down at his coffee. “It was a long time ago.”
“I know. But I didn’t explain. And I should’ve.”
Calix didn’t interrupt. Let her speak.
“I got scared,” she admitted. “You were too kind. Too stable. And I thought I didn’t deserve that.”
He met her gaze. “I forgave you a long time ago, Li.”
“I didn’t reach out for closure,” she said. “I reached out because I saw you again… and I’m glad you’re okay.”
That softened something in him.
“But you’re not here to open something again,” he clarified.
“No,” she said. “I see the way you look at her—Aira, right?”
He nodded slowly.
“She’s the kind of girl who’ll test everything you thought you knew about love,” Lianne said with a wistful smile. “And that’s a good thing.”
1:18 PM – Aira’s Dorm Room
Aira sat cross-legged on her bed, book open on her lap, but unread.
She didn’t want to be paranoid. Or insecure.
But something about the quiet felt… different today.
Calix usually messaged good morning. Shared a meme. A random thought. A snap of his lunch.
Today, nothing.
> “Don’t spiral,” she told herself.
“He’s probably just resting. You don’t own his hours.”
Still, she found herself refreshing their last thread.
No new messages.
3:02 PM – Calix’s POV – On His Walk Back
He didn’t regret seeing Lianne.
But he did regret not telling Aira.
He hadn’t planned to keep it from her. He just… didn’t know how to say it without making it sound heavier than it was.
4:11 PM – Message Notification
CALIX:
> Hey. Sorry I didn’t message earlier. I stepped out to clear my head. Just needed a breather.
Aira stared at it. Not a lie. But not the full truth either.
She typed:
> Everything okay?
He replied:
> Yeah. Just thinking stuff through. I’ll tell you later if that’s okay?
She wanted to say: “You can always tell me now.”
But she didn’t.
Instead:
> Okay. Hope you’re okay.
7:33 PM – Rooftop Garden
They sat together—physically close, but something in the air had shifted.
Aira leaned her head on Calix’s shoulder. He rested his chin lightly on her hair.
No words yet.
Until she finally asked, “Did something happen today?”
Calix was quiet for a beat. Then, “I saw someone from my past.”
Aira sat up a little. “Oh.”
“Just for closure,” he added quickly. “Nothing more.”
“You didn’t have to tell me if it’s hard,” she said, softly.
“No. I did,” he said. “Because I don’t want you guessing. Or wondering.”
Aira nodded.
But inside, she already had.
Late Evening – Aira’s Journal Entry
> “Even soft love trembles.
Especially when you remember the version of yourself who never felt chosen.
I’m not jealous.
I’m just scared of becoming invisible again.”
- Writer
