phew nothing happened
719 Words
A bright, sunny morning filled the room.
On the couch, tangled in an unplanned closeness, Caitlin and Raffelo were still asleep—like two people who had forgotten the world existed.
Raffelo stirred first.
He winced slightly, his neck stiff from the awkward position. Carefully, he tried to move—but a soft grip stopped him.
Caitlin.
Her hand was loosely holding onto his.
He tried to gently free himself, but the movement woke her.
She blinked, confused, her voice soft and disoriented.
CAITLIN
Where am I?
RAFFELO
You’re… at my place.
She sat up quickly, looking around, then back at him.
Memories rushed in—fragments, incomplete.
CAITLIN
Wait… we had drinks… we were talking…
Our clothes are still on… did we—
She hesitated.
CAITLIN
Did we sleep together?
Raffelo shook his head.
RAFFELO
No… not like that.
She frowned.
CAITLIN
I remember… we kissed. After that… everything is blurry.
RAFFELO
Yeah… we kissed. You were emotional… and then we just fell asleep.
He tried to keep it simple.
Too simple.
Caitlin stared at him, something shifting in her expression.
CAITLIN
That’s it?
Her voice trembled slightly.
CAITLIN
That’s all it means to you?
Raffelo looked at her, confused.
RAFFELO
I didn’t say that—
But she was already overwhelmed.
She reached out, touching his arm.
CAITLIN
You felt nothing?
Her eyes filled with tears.
CAITLIN
How can you be so… unaffected?
Raffelo sat up, trying to understand.
RAFFELO
Caitlin, I didn’t mean it like that—
CAITLIN (cutting him off)
Then what do you mean?
Her emotions spilled out faster than she could control.
CAITLIN
You ignored me at the office.
You acted like nothing happened.
And now this—like it’s just… casual?
Her voice broke.
CAITLIN
Do I mean nothing to you?
Raffelo was silent for a second, then—
RAFFELO
What are you saying…? Do you like me?
Caitlin laughed bitterly.
CAITLIN
I’m attracted to you. Anyone would be.
She stepped back.
CAITLIN
But clearly… you’re not.
A pause.
CAITLIN
Thank you… for everything.
Her tone changed—colder now.
CAITLIN
I’m done.
And just like that, she walked away.
---
Outside, the sunlight felt harsher than before.
Caitlin walked aimlessly until she reached a familiar place—
The Day Club.
Not a party club, but a dancer’s space. A place where people came to practice, to lose themselves in movement.
She stood there, breathing heavily.
“Why am I reacting like this…?” she whispered to herself.
It didn’t make sense.
Three days.
That’s all they had known each other.
So why did it feel like something deeper had been broken?
She closed her eyes.
And suddenly—
A memory.
Not from last night.
From long before.
Fragments started forming.
A year ago.
A different time.
A different version of them.
They had met before.
They had something before.
And he had told her to forget him.
Her eyes snapped open.
CAITLIN (softly)
Oh my God…
This wasn’t new.
This wasn’t sudden.
This… was unfinished.
---
Inside the studio, Caitlin danced.
Not gracefully.
Not softly.
But fiercely.
Every step carried frustration. Every movement held emotion she couldn’t explain.
As if she was trying to remember something through her body.
As if dance was the only language she had left.
---
Meanwhile—
Raffelo sat alone in his mansion.
Still.
Silent.
And just as lost.
Because he remembered too.
That same past.
That same decision.
That same girl.
Everything he had tried to bury… was back.
---
Back at the studio—
A knock on the door.
Caitlin stopped.
ADAM (entering)
Hey… what happened? Why did you text me like that?
Caitlin frowned.
CAITLIN
I didn’t text you.
Adam showed his phone.
Her message.
She stared at it, confused.
Then sighed.
CAITLIN
I’m sorry… I’m not in the right state of mind.
She sat down, exhausted.
Adam watched her carefully.
He had always been there for her. Always cared—maybe more than he ever admitted.
ADAM
Talk to me.
Caitlin looked up.
And for the first time—
She told everything.
About Raffelo.
About the night.
About the morning.
And about the memory that refused to stay buried.
---
Some stories don’t begin when you think they do.
Some feelings don’t grow in days.
They return.
Stronger.
Unfinished.
And impossible to ignore.
- Writer
