THE BOY I WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO WANT

CRACKS

The weeks that followed brought a different atmosphere to the apartment. The tension that had existed between Maya and Noah during their first days slowly began to disappear. They were no longer two strangers forced to live under the same roof. Instead, they had gradually become familiar with each other's presence.

The rumors on campus had also started to fade. Students had moved on to other topics, and Maya finally felt less pressure whenever she attended classes. Although some people still looked at her differently, the attention was no longer as overwhelming as before.

As life slowly returned to normal, Maya found herself paying more attention to Noah than she intended. She noticed his routines, his habits, and the quiet moments he spent alone. He woke up early, returned from practice exhausted, and often sat alone in the living room long after everyone else had gone to bed.

She never planned to observe these things, but living together made it impossible not to.

At the same time, Noah also became more comfortable with Maya's presence. Their conversations remained simple, but they happened more often. They discussed classes, assignments, professors, and the challenges of university life. The silence that once existed between them no longer felt uncomfortable. Instead, it became a form of understanding.

Both of them continued carrying the pain of their pasts. Maya still struggled with the memories that had pushed her to transfer schools. She wanted a fresh beginning and feared allowing anyone to become too important in her life again. Noah carried his own emotional wounds. Although he rarely spoke about them, his distance from people suggested experiences that had left deep marks on him.

As the days passed, they began sharing more of their daily lives. Sometimes they studied in the same room. Sometimes they ate together in the apartment. Other times they simply sat quietly while doing different things. Their connection developed slowly, without either of them noticing how important those small moments had become.

Their friends also observed the changes.

Emily noticed that Maya seemed happier than before. She smiled more often and appeared less isolated. Lucas noticed that Noah had become calmer and spent more time at the apartment than he usually did. Both friends recognized that something was changing, even if Maya and Noah refused to admit it.

One evening, Maya returned to the apartment and found Noah sitting alone in the living room. He looked exhausted after practice, and for the first time she saw the pressure he carried behind his confident appearance. The popular athlete admired by the university suddenly seemed like an ordinary person struggling with expectations and responsibilities.

This realization changed the way Maya saw him.

She had always viewed Noah as someone who possessed confidence, popularity, and control over his life. However, she now understood that he also experienced stress, disappointment, and exhaustion. Behind his reputation was someone who carried burdens he rarely shared with others.

Their conversations gradually became more personal. They began discussing their goals, fears, and future plans. Maya spoke about wanting a fresh start and rebuilding her life. Noah spoke about his desire to leave the city after graduation and escape the pressure that followed him on campus.

Although neither of them revealed everything, they revealed enough to create trust.

During this period, Maya also learned more about Noah's past. Through conversations around campus, she discovered that he had once been involved in a serious relationship that ended painfully. The experience had changed him and caused him to avoid emotional attachments. Since then, he had built walls around himself to avoid being hurt again.

This information helped Maya understand many aspects of his behavior. His emotional distance, his reluctance to trust others, and his fear of closeness suddenly made sense.

One evening, Maya found Noah sitting alone on the balcony. The campus below had become quiet, and the city lights filled the distance. She joined him, and they spent time together without the pressure of conversation.

The silence between them felt peaceful.

For the first time, Maya realized that both of them shared similar experiences. They had both been hurt in the past. They had both learned to protect themselves from disappointment. They had both convinced themselves that distance was safer than emotional connection.

As they slowly opened up to each other, they began to understand that they were not as different as they once believed.

Their relationship had changed from simple coexistence into emotional understanding. They were no longer strangers sharing an apartment. They had become two people carrying similar wounds and helping each other heal without fully realizing it.

The walls between them had not disappeared completely, but they had begun to crack. Trust was developing gradually, built through ordinary conversations, shared routines, and quiet moments.

Neither Maya nor Noah openly admitted their feelings.

However, both of them had started to recognize the importance of the other person's presence in their lives.

For Maya, Noah had become more than the popular athlete everyone admired. He had become someone she understood and someone who understood her in return.

For Noah, Maya had become the first person in years who managed to enter his life without forcing her way in. She had simply remained present, patient, and honest.

As another night settled over the apartment, both of them found themselves thinking about the same question.

What happens when two people who are afraid of being hurt begin to care about each other?

Neither of them had the answer.

But both of them knew that something important had already begun.