Chapter 24
1037 Words
Amber's POV
The days after the cafeteria incident moved slower than usual.
Classes felt longer, the air heavier. Even the sunlight that used to pour through the tall windows of the lecture hall seemed duller - like the world had dimmed a little without asking me first.
Timothy still checked in sometimes, but something had shifted.
He wasn't as talkative as before, not as quick to smile. Sometimes he'd wave from across the hallway and then disappear before I could reach him. Other times he'd say he was busy or tired - words that felt harmless on the surface, but stung quietly underneath.
I didn't ask questions.
I didn't know if I should.
Maybe he just needed space. Maybe I was reading too much into it. But every time I caught a glimpse of him - laughing faintly with some friends, or walking down the path with his hands shoved into his pockets - I felt that ache again.
The one that whispered, You're losing him.
---
Juliet turned out to be a good roommate - chatty, energetic, and always humming some song while doing her makeup.
She'd talk about classes, about how "Law is basically pain dressed in a suit," and about Lydia - though she never said much, just little things like, "She and Timothy had something real once."
Every time her name came up, I smiled politely and changed the subject.
But at night, lying in my bed with the ceiling glowing faintly from the streetlights outside, I'd replay Lydia's words in my head: Is she your new experiment now?
And suddenly, even the silence between Timothy and me felt louder.
---
One afternoon, I spotted him sitting by the fountain near the law building.
He looked tired - eyes shadowed, head bent over his phone. For a second, I thought about walking up to him, saying hi, pretending nothing had changed. But then I saw her.
Lydia.
She was standing beside him, talking quietly, her hand brushing his arm like it belonged there.
He didn't move away.
I froze, half-hidden behind a row of hedges, shame flooding my chest. I hated myself for staying there, for watching. But I couldn't look away. Something in the way he looked at her - soft, conflicted, but still there - made my stomach twist.
When she finally walked away, he just sat there for a long moment, staring at nothing.
And I turned before he could see me.
---
That night, Juliet was out late at a study group, and I sat by the window, the new phone Timothy gave me resting on my lap.
The screen glowed softly, his name sitting right there at the top of my chats.
I wanted to text him - Are you okay?, Did I do something?, Do you still want to talk to me? - but the words refused to come out.
Instead, I typed:
Hope classes are going well.
Simple. Safe.
I stared at it for a while... then deleted it.
I set the phone down and watched the streetlights blur through the glass instead.
Maybe it wasn't my place to ask. Maybe he was just figuring things out.
Still, as the night stretched on, I couldn't shake the hollow feeling in my chest - that slow, quiet kind of sadness that doesn't hurt all at once, but seeps in little by little until it fills everything.
---
The door creaked open sometime past ten.
I sat up slightly, expecting Juliet, but froze when I heard another voice - smooth, familiar, and dripping with that same quiet confidence.
Lydia.
She was standing in the doorway, arms folded loosely, eyes flicking across the room before settling on me.
"Oh hey, I didn't know you were Juliet's new roommate," she said casually, stepping inside like she owned the place.
Juliet followed behind her, smiling awkwardly. "Oh, yeah. Lydia wanted to stop by before we went out for a bit. You don't mind, right?"
I shook my head quickly. "No, not at all."
My voice came out smaller than I meant it to.
Lydia's lips curved. "Good. I wouldn't want to interrupt anything."
She dropped onto Juliet's bed, crossing her legs like she'd been there a hundred times before. "Anyway, we were just catching up. It's been... a while since I hung out with Tim."
My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my face neutral.
Juliet's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, you guys are talking again?"
Lydia smiled - that practiced, pretty smile that never reached her eyes. "More than talking. We've been spending a lot of time together lately."
She glanced at me then, her tone light but pointed. "It's funny how things just fall back into place when they're meant to."
Juliet giggled. "That's actually kind of sweet."
"Yeah," Lydia said, still watching me. "It is."
The silence that followed felt suffocating. I forced a smile that didn't reach anywhere near my eyes. "That's... nice. I'm happy for you."
"Thanks," Lydia said, tilting her head. "You seem sweet, Amber. I can see why Tim likes having you around."
The words sounded kind, but there was an edge underneath - sharp and deliberate.
Like a warning dressed as a compliment.
Juliet didn't seem to notice. She was already talking about what they should wear out, rummaging through her drawer for lip gloss. Lydia stayed seated, still looking at me for one long, unreadable second before standing up.
"See you around," she said simply, brushing past me on her way to the door. Her perfume lingered in the air - soft, expensive, and overwhelming.
When the door closed behind them, the silence left behind was deafening.
I sat back on my bed, staring at the faint glow of my phone screen. His name still sat there, unanswered.
A few minutes later, the screen lit up suddenly. A new message.
Timothy: Amber... I'm sorry. I know I've been distant lately. Can we talk tomorrow?
My chest tightened. Relief mixed with confusion. My fingers hovered over the keyboard, heart racing.
I didn't respond immediately. I just stared at the message, letting the words sink in.
He noticed. He cares.
For the first time that night, the hollow feeling didn't feel quite so heavy.
- Writer
