Cracks Behind The Smiles
451 Words
Episode 5:
"But she clearly matters to you" Amara finished quietly.
Xavier's jaw tightened slightly as Bianca kept calling
"she likes creating drama" he muttered.
Amara forced a small smile, but something inside her already felt unsettled.
The rest of the drive home became quiet.
When Xavier finally parked outside her street, neither of them moved immediately.
The silence between them felt dangerous.
"I had fun today", Xavier said softly.
Amara looked down shyly, "me too".
For a second he stared at her lips and Amara noticed.
Her heartbeat instantly lost control.
Then Xavier suddenly leaned closer.
His phone buzzed again
Bianca:
Answer me right now.
Amara immediately leaned back.
"You should go," she said quickly
"Amara"
"It's okay"
She stepped out of the car before he could explain further.
That night, Amara kept replaying the almost kiss in her head. Not old, very recent.
But Bianca's name kept ruining it.
The next morning social media exploded. A picture of Xavier and Bianca together surfaced online.
Amara stared at the picture in disbelief.
Bianca sat comfortably on Xavier's lap while he looked distracted on his phone.
The caption reads:
"y'all can stop forcing ships now"
Amara's chest tightened painfully.
Almost immediately, Xavier started calling.
She ignored every single call.
Then Bianca sent another message
"He never told you about me because he enjoys attention from girls, you're just another phase"
Tears burned Amara's eyes immediately.
Maybe she had been stupid
Maybe Xavier was never serious
Hours later, someone knocked at her gate aggressively.
Amara already knew who it was.
She opened the gate carefully.
Xavier stood there looking frustrated and exhausted.
"Why are you ignoring me?"
"What exactly are you doing with Bianca?"
"Nothing"
"She was sitting on your lap!"
"She came to my house uninvited"
"And you allowed pictures?"
Xavier ran his fingers through his hair in anger.
"You think I wanted that?"
"I don't know what to think!"
The pain in her voice hit him instantly.
His expression softened.
"Amara...."
"No, don't Amara me"
Tears finally escaped her eyes.
"You made me feel special yesterday just for me to wake up feeling stupid online".
Xavier stared at her silently for a long moment.
Then quietly said:
"You are special"
The sincerity in his voice almost broke her completely.
But before she could respond
A bike sped past suddenly
And a small envelope dropped near their feet.
Both of them froze
Xavier picked it up slowly.
Inside was a single photograph.
Amara's smile disappeared instantly.
It was a picture of her taken secretly from far away at the restaurant with Xavier yesterday. And behind the photo written in black ink:
Stay away from him if you want to stay safe.
- Writer
