When he went quite
1759 Words
Mila sat in her usual spot by the window, chewing the end of her pen while staring at the board without really seeing it.
The morning had started like every other. She woke up late, her uniform was only half-ironed, her younger brother had stolen her socks again but Liam was still there at the gate when she came out, just like always.
Only… he didn’t say much on the walk.
He answered her, but with short replies. No teasing, no smirk. His hands were in his pockets the whole time, and he didn’t bother adjusting her bag strap like he normally did when it slipped off her shoulder.
She noticed, of course she noticed.
But she didn’t say anything.
Now, sitting in class, she felt it again. He hadn’t said a word since they walked in. He sat behind her, but he hadn’t poked her chair. He hadn’t whispered anything during English. He hadn’t slid a note onto her desk or passed her a mint like he usually did when she looked tired.
Mila tapped her foot gently, trying to act unbothered. But the more she tried to ignore it, the louder the silence between them became.
Was he upset?
Did she say something?
Did she forget something important?
She bit her lip and looked sideways, pretending to stretch. Liam was staring at his notebook. His brows were furrowed like he was focused, but she knew he wasn’t really paying attention. He only frowned like that when he was in a mood.
He hadn’t even looked at her once.
When break time came, she stood up slowly, waiting. Usually, Liam would be up already, holding his wallet, asking if she wanted to go to the tuck shop. But now, he just sat there. Quiet and still.
She turned halfway, trying not to make it obvious.
“Are you coming?” she asked casually.
Liam looked up briefly. “Nah, I’m not really hungry.”
“Oh.” She nodded, trying not to let her face fall.
She left the classroom and walked toward the shop. The noise, the laughter, the heat — it was all too much. She bought a bottle of water and just stood under the staircase for a while, alone.
Usually, Liam would have been with her, joking about the meat pies being made of rubber or telling her not to buy eggs because her stomach was “too fragile.”
Today, she drank her water in silence.
By the time break ended, Mila had convinced herself she was overthinking it.
Maybe he was tired, maybe he had a headache or maybe he just needed space.
But when she returned to class, she saw it.
Liam wasn’t in his seat.
He was at the other side of the room, standing beside Keisha’s desk — her best friend’s.
He was smiling.
Laughing.
And Keisha?
She was touching his arm, leaning in a little too much, flipping her braids and giggling at something he’d said.
Mila stopped halfway into the room.
Her chest tightened, just a little.
She walked slowly to her seat, not looking at them. She could feel their presence at her back, loud and obvious. She could hear the softness in his voice — the voice he usually reserved for her. The one that made her stomach twist in ways she never admitted.
She sat down, opened her notebook, and stared at the page without reading anything on it.
Minutes passed.
Keisha's laughter echoed again, high-pitched and bright.
And Mila wanted to scream.
She wasn’t jealous. At least, that’s what she told herself.
She didn’t have a right to be.
She was the one who never said anything, she was the one who always acted like she didn’t care, she was the one who looked away when his eyes searched hers for answers.
Now he wasn’t looking anymore.
After school, Mila packed her things slower than usual. She waited a bit, hoping Liam would come back to her desk, tap her bag, say “Let’s go.”
But he didn’t.
She walked outside alone, trying not to think too hard. She saw groups of students heading home in pairs. Boys cracking jokes. Girls giggling with their friends.
And then she saw them again — Liam and Keisha standing by the mango tree.
They weren’t holding hands.
But they were close, just too close.
Keisha's s eyes flicked toward her and then quickly looked away, pretending not to notice. Liam didn’t even glance up.
Mila turned and walked in the opposite direction.
She didn’t look back.
But she wanted to.
That evening, Mila lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Her books were untouched while hrer phone was silent.
Her mom called her for dinner twice before giving up.
She replayed the day in her head. Every moment, every silence, every little thing Liam didn’t do, every laugh he shared with Keisha instead of her.
And for the first time in a long time, Mila admitted it to herself — she didn’t want to lose him.
Not to anyone.
Especially not to Keisha.
Mila wasn’t the type to overthink.
At least, that’s what she told herself as she stared at her phone screen, watching Liam’s name light up her class group chat. He was cracking jokes and there was Keisha laughing at everything he said — reacting to his messages with love emojis and laughing faces.
Mila didn’t reply.
She scrolled past it all and locked her phone, dropping it face-down on her bed.
She wasn’t jealous, she e just didn’t understand why things suddenly felt so… different.
The next morning, Liam didn’t wait at her gate.
She stood outside for a while, pretending she was adjusting her bag. Maybe he was just running late or maybe he was halfway here.
But the street was quiet and he didn’t show up.
She ended up walking to school alone. No conversation, no teasing, no quiet company beside her.
She arrived just before the gate closed and slipped into class with her heart already heavy. Liam was already there, sitting in his usual spot. She paused by the door for half a second, wondering if he would look up.
He didn’t.
Mila walked past him, sat down, and stared at the blackboard. She told herself she wouldn’t let it get to her but it was getting to her.
Every time he laughed at something Keisha said.
Every time he leaned a little closer to help Keisha with a question.
Every time Keisha touched his arm like it was normal.
Mila hated it. Not because it was happening, but because Keisha wasn’t even pretending.
At break, Mila walked straight to the tuck shop by herself. She didn’t expect him to come after her anymore, but a part of her still wished he would.
She bought her usual drink, stood by the wall near the hall, and stared at nothing.
Then Keisha's voice cut through the noise behind her.
“I think he’s over her jare,” Lara was saying to one of the girls in SS3. Loud enough for Mila to hear. “She was always forming. Always acting like he wasn’t good enough. She thought he would chase her forever.”
The girl beside her laughed. “So he’s with you now?”
Keisha giggled. “Not officially. But… let’s just say he’s mine now.”
Mila stood frozen. She didn’t turn around neither did she say anything.
She just walked back to class with her throat burning and her hands shaking.
That night, she didn’t sleep well.
She kept thinking of all the times Liam had waited, had stayed, had cared and how she’d kept pushing him back without ever realizing he might actually walk away one day.
And now he had.
Not just walked — but walked right into her best friend’s arms.
The thought made her sick.
The next day, Mila came to school earlier than usual. She didn’t wait at the gate. She didn’t hope he’d show up.
She walked in, climbed the stairs, and sat in class before anyone else arrived.
She placed her bag on Liam’s usual seat — quietly, without thinking — and waited to see what he’d do when he came in.
He arrived a few minutes later, laughing with two boys from his hostel.
When he reached the row of desks, he stopped. Looked at the bag on his seat, then looked at her.
She didn’t say anything. She just raised her brow like she was daring him to move it.
He didn’t. He just sat beside her.
But he didn’t speak.
And she didn’t either.
It was awkward, heavy and too quiet.
Until he finally sighed and said, “Why did you block my seat?”
“I didn’t,” she replied. “My bag was tired.”
He scoffed, a soft sound, almost like a laugh. “You’re always joking, even when you’re not okay.”
“I’m okay.”
“Sure.”
They didn’t speak again for the rest of the class.
After school, Mila left without waiting. She was halfway down the hall when Liam caught up to her.
“You’re going home?” he asked.
“No, I’m walking to Canada.”
He laughed again, but this time it didn’t reach his eyes. “You’ve been acting weird.”
“Says the one who switched up out of nowhere.”
Liam stopped walking. “Mila, what do you want from me?”
She turned to face him, folding her arms. “What do you mean?”
“You always push me away. You act like I’m invisible half the time. Then when I start talking to someone else, you catch feelings.”
“I didn’t catch anything.”
“Yes, you did.”
Silence.
People were walking past them, laughing, playing. But they were just standing there, two feet apart, surrounded by a tension that didn’t want to break.
“I liked you, Mila,” Liam said quietly. “For so long. You knew that.”
She said nothing.
“And you just... played it cool. Like it didn’t mean anything.”
“I was scared.”
“Of what?”
“Of everything.”
He stared at her for a long moment. Then he shook his head slowly.
“I waited for you.”
And just like that, he turned and walked away.
Mila didn’t follow him.
She just stood there, the words echoing in her mind.
“I waited for you.”
She’d never felt so stupid in her life.
- Writer
