Chapter 7: Unspoken Words
585 Words
Dylan walked away from Lena’s house, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. The night air was cool against his heated skin, but it did nothing to cool the storm raging inside him.
She had lied to him.
Maybe she thought he wouldn’t notice, but he did. He saw it in her eyes, the way her voice wavered just slightly.
Something had happened between her and Evan.
He should have seen it coming.
Ever since Evan had returned for the summer, things had been shifting. Lena had been looking at Evan differently—not like she had for years, from a distance, with quiet longing—but like she had finally allowed herself to want him.
And Dylan hated it.
Because he knew Evan.
Knew that Evan was reckless, that he never stayed in one place too long, that he didn’t think about the consequences of his actions.
Dylan had spent years protecting Lena from heartbreaks she never even saw coming.
And now, he was watching her walk straight into one.
His stomach twisted.
Was this what heartbreak felt like?
His feet carried him to the town’s small gym, the one place where he could think clearly. The moment he stepped inside, the familiar scent of sweat and metal filled his lungs. He grabbed a pair of boxing gloves from the shelf and headed straight for the punching bag.
He needed to hit something.
With each punch, he tried to force the image of Lena out of his head.
The way her eyes softened when she talked about Evan.
The way she looked away when he asked if something was going on.
The way she had never once looked at him was the way she looked at his brother.
The bag shook under his blows, but no matter how hard he hit, the ache inside him didn’t fade.
“Rough night?”
Dylan turned at the familiar voice. Coach Harris stood by the doorway, arms crossed. He was an older man, built like a wall, with decades of experience in boxing and life.
Dylan exhaled, pulling off his gloves. “Something like that.”
Coach Harris studied him for a moment. “You know, some fights aren’t meant to be won with fists.”
Dylan scoffed. “Yeah? What do you do when you’re losing a fight you never even get the chance to be in?”
Harris gave him a knowing look. “You either walk away, or you fight for what you want.”
Dylan’s jaw tightened.
But that was the problem.
What if fighting for Lena meant losing her completely?
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Lena
Lena didn’t sleep that night.
She couldn’t.
Dylan’s words haunted her.
Figure it out before you do something you can’t take back.
But hadn’t she already?
She had kissed Evan.
And it wasn’t just any kiss. It was the kind of kiss that stole the air from her lungs, that made her forget everything else—forget reason, forget consequences.
But now, in the quiet of her room, reality set in.
She had hurt Dylan.
Maybe he didn’t say it outright, but she had seen it in his eyes.
And the worst part?
She had no idea what to do about it.
A soft vibration from her phone pulled her from her thoughts. A message from Evan.
Evan: Can I see you tomorrow?
Her heart skipped.
She hesitated before typing a response.
Lena: Okay.
She knew she was making a mistake.
But some mistakes were impossible to make.
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- Writer
