SEEN, NOTICED LOVED

Chapter 14-THE THINGS WE DON'T SAY

Tara didn’t hate school, but today she wanted nothing more than to disappear inside her hoodie.

Everywhere felt loud. People didn’t whisper anymore, but it was in their eyes , like they knew something she was still figuring out.

Tyler hadn’t spoken to her since that afternoon under the tree. She hadn’t reached out either. She wanted to. Badly. But she kept thinking ,

" What would I even say? “Sorry I didn’t trust you”? “Sorry I got scared”? Would he even want to hear it? "

She found herself near the library steps during break, sketchbook clutched to her chest like armor. She wasn’t even sure how she ended up there , maybe habit, maybe hope.

Then, like some uninvited thought turned real , Tonia appeared. “Tara ” she said, her voice low. Almost casual. Tara didn’t flinch. Just looked up slowly.

“Do you need something?”

Tonia gave a small, almost pitying smile.

“I just thought you should know something. About Tyler, From before.”

Tara blinked. “What about him?” Sonia glanced around, then pulled out her phone.

“He and I used to talk. Not a big deal, but there were messages. Late-night ones. Just vibes. You know?”

Tara stared at the screen. Tonia didn’t shove it in her face , she just held it out gently, like an offering.

There they were.

A few chats.

Tyler wasn’t flirty. But he’d replied. Short responses.

“Lol,” “true,” “you’re not serious.”

Some were left on read. Some had tiny signs of energy. Nothing heavy. But still something. Tara didn’t take the phone. She just looked at Sonia and said,

“And?”

Tonia shrugged. “Nothing. Just figured it’d be weird if you didn’t know.”

Silence. Then Tara tilted her head. “You sent him texts months ago. And he replied. That’s the story?”

Tonia’s smile faltered slightly. “You don’t care?”

“Oh, I care,” Tara said, calm but cutting. “I just think you thought this would break me.” She stepped closer. “But it doesn’t. It makes me human. Makes him human. And it makes you , well. You.”

She turned to leave, then paused. “I hope you find someone who answers because they want to. Not because they’re just being polite.”

And she walked away.

That night, she sat on her bed for hours , staring at Tyler’s contact. Still no message. She wasn’t angry. Not really. Just bruised. Because it wasn’t the chats that hurt. It was that he hadn’t told her. And she didn’t know whether to call that a lie, or just a missing piece.

Eventually, she texted

" We don’t owe each other perfect pasts. But if we’re building something, Let’s not leave holes in the floor".

No reply. Not immediately. She didn’t expect one. But she left her phone face up this time. Just in case. Tyler saw it two minutes later. He typed. Stopped. Typed again.

" Can we talk? Not text. Not half-truths. Just us."

Tara smiled , not because everything was fixed. But because finally, they were saying the things that mattered.