EPISODE 2 — THE THINGS WE DON’T SAY
791 Words
Their friendship grew quietly.
No grand confession.
No dramatic moment.
Just small things.
Noah brought Elena coffee every morning.
She pretended she didn’t care.
He remembered her order anyway.
She started leaving snacks on his desk.
He pretended he didn’t notice.
He always ate them.
They began having lunch together.
Then coffee after work.
Then occasional weekend walks.
People at the office started noticing.
“So,” Elena’s coworker Mia said one afternoon, “are you and Noah dating?”
Elena nearly choked on her coffee.
“No.”
Mia smiled.
“You answered very quickly.”
“Because it’s easy to answer.”
“Do you like him?”
“No.”
Another pause.
“Maybe.”
Mia laughed.
“Elena.”
“What?”
“You’re smiling.”
Elena immediately stopped.
“I am not.”
“You are.”
She touched her cheeks.
“Oh no.”
Mia laughed again.
“You’re in trouble.”
Elena looked across the office.
Noah was reading a manuscript.
His brow was slightly furrowed.
He looked serious.
Focused.
Beautiful.
As though he could feel her staring, he looked up.
Their eyes met.
He smiled.
Elena looked away.
Mia whispered,
“Definitely in trouble.”
⸻
One Saturday, Noah invited Elena to a bookstore.
“I thought you hated bookstores,” she said.
“I work in publishing.”
“That doesn’t mean you like books.”
“That’s offensive.”
They walked between the shelves for nearly an hour.
Noah picked up a romance novel.
“Read this.”
Elena looked at the cover.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because the title is terrible.”
“You haven’t even opened it.”
“I don’t need to.”
He laughed.
“You judge books by their covers?”
“Sometimes.”
“That’s ironic.”
“What?”
“You’re an editor.”
“Exactly. I know what bad covers look like.”
He put the book back.
Then he picked up another.
“What about this?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Too predictable.”
“You haven’t read it.”
“It’s a romance novel.”
“You’re impossible.”
“So are you.”
They continued walking.
Then Noah stopped.
Elena looked back.
“What?”
He was holding a small notebook.
It was simple, with a black cover.
“Here.”
He handed it to her.
“What is this?”
“A notebook.”
“I know what a notebook is.”
“You write stories, right?”
“Sometimes.”
“You should write more.”
She looked at him.
“I don’t think I’m very good.”
“You are.”
“You’ve never read anything I’ve written.”
“I’ve read your editing notes.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“It does.”
She smiled.
“Thank you.”
Noah nodded.
“Keep it.”
“For what?”
“For the story you haven’t written yet.”
Something about those words stayed with her.
⸻
Weeks passed.
Elena slowly realized she was falling for him.
She tried to deny it.
She failed.
She noticed the way he laughed when he was nervous.
The way he rubbed the back of his neck when he didn’t know what to say.
The way he always walked on the street side of the sidewalk.
The way he remembered tiny details she had forgotten telling him.
One evening, they were sitting outside a restaurant.
The city lights reflected on the wet pavement.
Noah looked at her.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why don’t you date?”
Elena looked down.
“I did.”
He waited.
“A long time ago.”
“What happened?”
“He left.”
Noah’s expression softened.
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“That sounds painful.”
“It was.”
She looked at him.
“What about you?”
“I don’t date much.”
“Why?”
He smiled faintly.
“Same reason.”
“Someone left?”
“Someone I loved.”
Elena’s heart tightened.
“Do you still love her?”
He looked away.
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
Elena noticed.
She didn’t ask again.
Later that night, Noah walked her home.
At her gate, neither of them moved.
“Goodnight,” Elena said.
“Goodnight.”
She turned.
“Elena.”
She looked back.
Noah seemed like he wanted to say something.
Instead, he smiled.
“Nothing.”
She went inside.
Behind the closed door, she leaned against it.
Her heart was racing.
Outside, Noah stood in the street for several seconds.
Then he whispered to himself,
“Not yet.”
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