Chapter 6
615 Words
Fiona didn’t sleep that night.
She kept replaying Jason’s voice in her head, the way his hand brushed her face like it still had a place there. The worst part wasn’t what he said—it was how much of it felt like the truth she used to pray for.
But the girl who begged for his love was gone.
Or... she was supposed to be.
The next morning, Fiona met Jared for breakfast at their usual spot—a diner just off campus that smelled like syrup and burnt toast. He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, light and warm, but she felt the weight behind it. He was testing her. Feeling for distance.
She smiled through it. Forced her voice to be bright. But inside, she was cracking.
“You okay?” he asked, pushing a plate of waffles toward her.
“Yeah,” she lied. “Just tired.”
They ate, they laughed, they planned a weekend hike. And still, her guilt clung to her like a second skin.
Because she hadn’t told him everything.
She hadn’t told him that Jason had asked if she still had feelings for him.
She hadn’t told him she didn’t say no right away.
And secrets like that—they don’t stay buried long.
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Two days later, it came out.
Not from her lips. From Jason’s.
Jared showed up at her dorm unexpectedly. His jaw was tight, eyes darker than she’d ever seen them. He didn’t say hello. Didn’t ask if she was free.
“Did he kiss you?” Jared asked.
Fiona blinked, heart thudding. “What?”
“Jason,” he said flatly. “Did he kiss you?”
“No!” she said, stepping back. “God, no, Jared—he didn’t touch me.”
“But he wanted to,” Jared said. Not a question.
She swallowed hard. “Yes.”
He exhaled, shaky and slow, looking away.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want to hurt you.”
He laughed bitterly. “So you let me walk around thinking we were solid while my brother was out here trying to steal you?”
“He didn’t steal me,” Fiona snapped. “I chose you.”
Jared’s gaze snapped back to hers. “Did you, Fiona? Or are you still figuring that out?”
That cut deeper than she expected.
Her hands trembled at her sides. “I thought you trusted me.”
“I did,” he said. “I do. But I don’t trust him. And I know what you used to feel. I just... I don’t want to be a substitute.”
“You’re not,” she whispered. “You’re not second choice. You’re the first one who ever chose me back.”
His shoulders loosened just a bit, the sharpness in his expression softening. He stepped closer.
“I love you, Fiona,” Jared said. “But I need you to be sure. Not just about me—but about him, too. I need to know he’s not still living somewhere in your heart.”
She blinked, eyes burning.
“I don’t want Jason,” she said. “But I can’t pretend he didn’t matter.”
Jared nodded slowly, like that answer was enough… but barely.
He leaned in, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Then stepped back.
“I’ll give you space,” he said quietly. “Figure it out, Fi. But if you’re mine... be sure.”
And just like that, he walked away—leaving Fiona standing in the doorway of her dorm, torn between the love she’d always wanted and the love she might lose.
- Writer
