What If He Still Cares?
1137 Words
The sun sat high over the hills as the bus finally rolled to a stop outside the rustic lodge, hidden deep in the countryside. Mila stirred in her seat, startled slightly by the hiss of the brakes. She blinked slowly, her head leaning on the cold window, her mind still echoing with the last lines of the Billie Eilish song she had whispered under her breath.
Liam hadn’t looked at her once since the last stop, and she had done the same. That was the new rule they both seemed to silently agree on—act unbothered.
But it was fake.
Everyone poured out of the bus in loud chatter and scattered energy. Mila picked up her small duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder, stepping down onto the gravel road like someone about to step into an exam hall.
“Lodge looks cute,” Elena said, nudging her. “Definitely i********:-worthy. We better take pictures before our hair dies.”
Mila gave a small smile. She wasn’t really in the mood for selfies. Not today, not with Liam this close and so far away at the same time.
The lodge was surrounded by tall trees and had a quiet charm to it. Nature sang in soft winds, and birds called in the distance. There were four large rooms inside—each room was shared by five girls, and the boys had their own section on the other side of the compound.
After the quick room allocations, Mila and the others were given time to freshen up and rest before the evening bonfire. As she stepped into her room, she found a top bunk, dropped her bag, and sat quietly. Her mind, however, wasn’t calm.
Why had Liam stopped trying?
She told herself she didn’t want the attention anymore. That she was fine now. That maybe he never really meant it.
But why did it still hurt to see him laugh with others?
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By evening, the air had turned golden. Everyone gathered in a clearing not far from the lodge. The school’s chaperones had lit a large bonfire, and the flames cracked gently into the air.
Mila took a seat near the fire’s edge, folding her arms across her knees. The night buzzed with voices, stories, and laughter. The fire made everyone’s skin glow orange, and for a moment, it felt like time had paused.
Then she felt it.
Someone sat beside her.
She turned slow, Liam.
He didn’t say anything at first. Neither did she.
But the air around them had shifted. Like it used to. Like before.
“I liked the song you sang,” he finally said.
Mila looked ahead at the fire, not trusting herself to look into his eyes. “You were listening?”
“I always listen when it’s you.”
Her throat tightened.
Liam reached down and picked up a twig, tossing it into the fire. "I remember when we used to walk to school together. Every morning. You’d always walk three steps ahead like I didn’t exist."
“That’s because I was shy,” she said before thinking.
He turned to her slowly, smiling for real. “And I thought you just hated me.”
“I didn’t. I…” she paused. “I didn’t know what to do with someone like you always showing up.”
The words hung in the air between them.
“I never meant to hurt you,” he said gently. “With… her.”
Mila's chest ached. The name wasn’t mentioned, but she knew. Her best friend, the betrayal, the wound that never fully closed.
“I know,” she whispered.
They sat in silence, the crackle of the fire the only thing brave enough to speak.
“Do you still hate me?” he asked, looking at her now, fully.
She finally looked back. His eyes were softer than she remembered. A little older, a little sad.
“I don’t hate you,” she said. “I just don’t know if I should still care.”
He nodded slowly. “What if I still do?”
Keisha stared at him, and for the first time in weeks, didn’t try to hide how much she’d missed him.
The bonfire turned into games.
Dare or Dare, as the group had renamed it.
Everyone was wild with laughter, and secrets were spilled like popcorn kernels. When it was mila’s turn, she dared Liam to sing a song. He stood up without hesitation and sang something funny—off key, off rhythm, but it had everyone crying with laughter.
Her cheeks hurt from smiling.
Later, they danced under the stars. Just friends, but not quite. He kept glancing at her and she kept catching him. It was all slow-burning magic.
She went to bed that night with her heart twisted.
What if he still cares?
And worse: What if she did too?
Mila lay awake in the dark, the room quiet except for the soft breathing of her roommates. Her phone’s screen glowed faintly as she typed in her notes app:
"I used to think I’d never matter to him. But tonight felt like I did again or maybe I never stopped."
She deleted it, typed it again.
And then closed her eyes, the words swimming behind her lids.
Suddenly, a knock.
Soft, hesitant, at the window.
Her eyes shot open. She crawled down from the bunk and tiptoed across the room. Pulling the curtain back slightly, she gasped.
Liam.
Standing outside with a hoodie pulled over his head, motioning silently for her to come out.
Mila hesitated. Her heart thudded against her chest. She opened the door as quietly as she could and slipped out.
The night air was cold. The stars shimmered like tiny gossipers.
“You’re crazy,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.
“I know,” he said. “I just couldn’t sleep.”
They walked slowly through the trees, not saying much at first.
“I used to think you’d never speak to me again,” Liam said eventually.
“I used to think you didn’t care,” Keisha replied.
“I did. I just didn’t know how to show it after everything.”
They stopped near a low rock and sat side by side. The silence was comfortable now. Full of weight, not awkwardness.
“I think about you all the time,” he said suddenly. “Even when I try not to.”
Mila’s breath caught.
“I don’t know what we are now,” she whispered. “But I missed you.”
He turned to her, slowly. “I missed you too.”
They sat close now almost touching. His hand grazed hers, and neither of them pulled away.
She rested her head on his shoulder.
No words,
Just heartbeats.
Just the stars listening.
- Writer
