Chapter 7
579 Words
Fiona spent the next few days floating through her life like a ghost.
Classes passed in a haze. Her phone stayed silent—no calls from Jared, no texts from Jason. The air around her felt too still, like the world was holding its breath, waiting for her to make the next move.
She hated it.
She hated that her heart felt like it was stuck between two timelines: the girl who had loved Jason from afar, and the woman who found something real with Jared.
Who was she now?
She found herself at the old library—the place where she used to write during high school lunch breaks. The table in the farthest corner was still there, the wood scratched with names and hearts carved by bored teenagers. Hers was one of them.
F + J
She’d etched it with the corner of her ruler in Year 10, when hope had been enough to get her through the days.
Now, she ran her fingers over it like touching an old scar.
I loved you, she thought. And you never looked back.
Until it was too late.
---
That night, Jason texted.
> Jason: Can we talk?
Fiona stared at the screen for a long time. Part of her wanted to delete the message. The other part—the one still shaped like her sixteen-year-old self—wanted to know what he’d say.
So she replied:
> Fiona: Tomorrow. One hour. The bench behind the science building.
---
He was already there when she arrived.
He stood as she approached, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets like he was trying to keep them from reaching for her.
“I didn’t expect you to answer,” Jason said.
“You wanted to talk. So talk.”
Jason exhaled slowly. “I was wrong. About everything.”
She said nothing.
“I used to think you’d always be there,” he continued. “That your feelings were just... background noise. Like something I didn’t have to earn.”
Fiona swallowed. “Because you didn’t care.”
“I do now.”
She shook her head. “You care because Jared saw me first.”
Jason flinched, but didn’t deny it. “Maybe that woke me up. But I’m not here because of him. I’m here because of you.”
Fiona stepped back. “You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to want me now.”
“I do,” he said, voice low. “And I’m not asking for anything. I just... I needed you to know.”
Silence fell between them, thick and heavy.
Then she looked up, her eyes clear.
“You were my first love, Jason. But you were never mine.”
He nodded slowly. “I know.”
“And Jared...” Her voice cracked slightly. “Jared found me when I didn’t even know I was worth finding.”
Jason’s jaw clenched. “Do you love him?”
She blinked hard, but this time there were no tears. Just truth.
“Yes,” she said. “And I’m going to fight for that.”
Jason gave a short, painful laugh. “Guess that makes me the one left behind now.”
Fiona smiled softly. “Welcome to the club.”
She turned and walked away. No looking back this time. No second guessing.
She didn’t need to choose between the past and the future anymore.
She had already chosen herself.
- Writer
