The mistake
1055 Words
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Mistake
For three days, Amara and Daniel barely spoke.
It was strange.
The silence felt louder than their conversations ever had.
Amara would pick up her phone, open their chat, type something, and delete it.
Daniel did the same.
Neither wanted to be the first to say something that might make things worse.
On Thursday evening, Tolu came to Amara's apartment.
“You can't keep doing this.”
Amara looked up from her laptop.
“Doing what?”
“Pretending you're fine.”
“I am fine.”
“You haven't eaten properly.”
“I ate.”
“When?”
“Earlier.”
“What did you eat?”
Amara paused.
“That's not the point.”
Tolu sighed.
“You miss him.”
Amara looked away.
“Yes.”
“Then talk to him.”
“What if the message was telling the truth?”
“What truth?”
“That there's something I don't know.”
Tolu sat beside her.
“Then ask him.”
Amara shook her head.
“I already did.”
“And he answered.”
“He said nothing happened.”
“Exactly.”
Amara stared at the floor.
“I just don't want to look stupid.”
Tolu's expression softened.
“Trusting someone doesn't make you stupid.”
Amara didn't respond.
Across town, Michael was dealing with his own guilt.
He had spent the past few days trying to figure out who had sent the message.
Eventually, he found the person he had spoken to that weekend.
His friend admitted that he had mentioned Daniel's relationship to someone else.
That person had apparently made a joke about “testing” whether Daniel was serious about Amara.
Michael was furious.
He immediately called Daniel.
“I found out what happened.”
Daniel sat up.
“What?”
“The message came from someone who heard what I said.”
Daniel frowned.
“Who?”
Michael explained.
Daniel closed his eyes.
“So it was a misunderstanding.”
“Yes.”
Daniel was silent.
“I'll tell Amara.”
Michael nodded.
“I'm sorry.”
Daniel looked at him.
“This started because of something you said.”
“I know.”
“You should have been more careful.”
“I know.”
Michael lowered his voice.
“I never meant to hurt either of you.”
Daniel sighed.
“I know.”
That evening, Daniel went to see Amara.
She opened the door and immediately knew something was different.
“What happened?”
“I found out about the message.”
She stepped aside.
He entered.
Daniel explained everything.
Michael's careless comment.
The friend.
The misunderstanding.
The message.
Amara listened without interrupting.
When he finished, she sat quietly.
“So it really was nothing.”
“Yes.”
She closed her eyes.
“I feel terrible.”
“You don't have to.”
“I doubted you.”
“You were scared.”
“I should have trusted you.”
Daniel sat across from her.
“I understand why you couldn't immediately.”
She looked at him.
“But I need you to understand something too.”
“What?”
“I can't keep proving that I'm not someone from your past.”
The words hurt.
Not because they were cruel.
Because they were true.
Amara looked down.
“I know.”
“I care about you.”
“I know.”
“But I need to be trusted too.”
She nodded.
“I understand.”
Silence settled between them.
Then Amara whispered,
“I think I ruined everything.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“I did.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“We made a mistake.”
She looked up.
“We?”
“Yes.”
“You didn't make the mistake.”
“I made mistakes too.”
“Like what?”
“I should have realized how vulnerable you were feeling. I should have been clearer. I should have made sure you knew there wasn't anything you needed to worry about.”
Amara's eyes softened.
“You shouldn't have to manage all my fears.”
“No.”
He smiled faintly.
“But I can help you face them.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Daniel.”
“I don't want to walk away.”
She swallowed.
“Neither do I.”
He smiled.
For a moment, it felt like everything might return to normal.
Then Amara said,
“But I think I need some time.”
Daniel's expression changed.
“Okay.”
“I need to understand why one message affected me this much.”
He nodded.
“I think that's fair.”
She looked at him.
“You're not going to fight me on it?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because if I love you—”
He stopped.
The room became completely silent.
Amara stared at him.
Daniel looked almost surprised by his own words.
He took a breath.
“I didn't mean to say that yet.”
Amara's heart raced.
“You love me?”
He looked at her.
“I think I do.”
Neither moved.
For months, they had been running from that sentence.
Now it was finally in the room.
Amara looked away.
“I don't know what to say.”
“You don't have to say anything.”
“I care about you too.”
“I know.”
“But I'm scared.”
“I know.”
Daniel stood.
“I'll give you time.”
She nodded.
He walked toward the door.
“Daniel?”
He turned.
“I don't want this to be the end.”
He looked at her.
“It won't be.”
Then he left.
Amara closed the door behind him.
She stood there alone.
The message had been a mistake.
Michael's words had been a mistake.
Her fear had made everything worse.
But perhaps the biggest mistake would be believing that fear had to make every decision for her.
For the first time, Amara understood that loving someone didn't mean becoming certain that they would never hurt you.
It meant deciding whether the person in front of you was worth trusting.
And Daniel had spent months showing her who he was.
Now the decision was hers.
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