Chapter Eleven — Denial (A Short and Useless Phase)
464 Words
Mara handled this revelation exactly how emotionally mature adults do.
She panicked.
She avoided him.
She canceled workouts.
She replied to texts with vague excuses.
She threw herself into work.
She pretended nothing was wrong — except everything was.
Caleb noticed immediately.
“You okay?” he texted.
“Busy,” she replied.
“You’ve been busy for three weeks.”
“Coincidence.”
“Bullshit.”
She sighed.
He showed up at her apartment that night.
She opened the door and froze.
“Hey,” he said.
“What are you doing here?”
“Trying to talk to my best friend who’s been avoiding me.”
“I haven’t been avoiding you.”
“Then why haven’t you answered my calls?”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Too busy for me?”
She hesitated.
“Mara,” he said quietly. “Did I do something wrong?”
That did it.
Her chest cracked.
“No,” she whispered. “You didn’t.”
“Then what’s going on?”
She swallowed. “I can’t train with you anymore.”
He stared. “What?”
“I mean, I can, but I can’t, because I—” She pressed a hand to her face. “This is stupid.”
“Mara.”
She dropped her hand and looked at him.
“I’m in love with you.”
Silence.
Her heart slammed violently against her ribs.
“I’m sorry,” she rushed. “I didn’t mean to. It just happened. And I know this ruins everything and I don’t expect you to—”
He kissed her.
The world stopped.
Not gentle.
Not hesitant.
Real.
Warm.
Certain.
Her hands fisted in his shirt.
His arms wrapped around her waist.
Her knees went weak.
When he pulled back, she stared at him like reality had broken.
“You’re an i***t,” he said softly.
“…Excuse me?”
“I’ve been in love with you for years.”
Her breath caught. “What?”
“Since college,” he said. “Since you stayed up all night with me after my dad died. Since you made terrible coffee and worse jokes just so I wouldn’t be alone.”
Her chest burned.
“Then why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because you were always dating someone. Because I didn’t want to lose you. Because I didn’t think you’d ever see me that way.”
She laughed shakily. “I’ve always seen you that way. I was just scared.”
“So was I.”
He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “But I’m not anymore.”
She kissed him this time.
Slow.
Intentional.
Full of everything they hadn’t said for years.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“Took you long enough.”
- Writer
