He Chose Her Over Me… Now He Wants Me Back💔

📖 Chapter 7 — The Attention He Couldn’t Ignore

The campus buzzed louder than usual that morning.

Not because of an event.

Not because of exams.

Because of Maya.

Again.

Only this time, the whispers sounded different.

“She actually looks happier now.”

“I saw her with Daniel yesterday.”

“Ethan has been acting weird lately too…”

Maya heard pieces of it as she walked through the hallway, but she kept moving like none of it concerned her.

Maybe because it didn’t anymore.

Ada caught up with her halfway to class. “You’re trending again.”

Maya sighed dramatically. “I’m tired.”

Ada laughed. “At least this time people aren’t pitying you.”

“That’s supposed to comfort me?”

“A little.”

Maya shook her head, but a small smile appeared anyway.

And that smile alone proved how much she had changed.

A few weeks ago, she would’ve been exhausted by all the attention.

Now?

She simply refused to let it control her.

—

Their first lecture ended earlier than expected.

As students flooded out of the classroom, Maya stayed behind briefly to organize her notes.

“You always write this neatly?”

She looked up.

Daniel.

Again.

Not that she minded.

“Not always,” she replied. “Only when I’m trying to understand something properly.”

Daniel nodded. “Makes sense.”

He leaned lightly against the desk beside hers. “You heading somewhere after this?”

“The library probably.”

“Again?”

Maya smiled faintly. “I like quiet places.”

Daniel chuckled softly. “I noticed.”

They walked out together, talking casually.

Nothing forced.

Nothing dramatic.

And somehow, that made people stare even more.

Because there was something dangerous about ease.

Especially when everyone expected heartbreak.

As they stepped outside, Maya noticed familiar figures near the stairs.

Ethan.

And Zara.

Zara spotted them first.

Her expression changed almost immediately.

Not anger.

Not exactly.

Something sharper.

Awareness.

“Well,” she muttered softly beside Ethan, “there they go again.”

Ethan’s eyes lifted.

And landed directly on Maya.

She was laughing.

Actually laughing.

Not polite smiling.

Not pretending.

Real laughter.

His chest tightened unexpectedly.

Daniel said something else and Maya lightly pushed his arm in response.

Small gesture.

Simple.

But Ethan noticed it anyway.

Zara crossed her arms. “You know, for someone who claims not to care, you stare a lot.”

Ethan looked away immediately. “I wasn’t staring.”

“You were.”

“I was just looking.”

“At her.”

Ethan exhaled sharply. “Can we not do this today?”

Zara studied him for a moment.

Then nodded slowly.

But the tension stayed.

Because deep down…

They both felt it.

Something was changing.

—

Maya felt Ethan’s eyes on her before she even looked.

Not because she still paid attention to him like before.

But because his gaze had become heavier lately.

More noticeable.

She turned slightly.

And there he was.

Watching.

Again.

Her laughter faded just a little.

Not from nervousness.

From realization.

Daniel noticed the shift immediately. “You okay?”

Maya nodded. “Yeah.”

But Daniel followed her gaze.

Straight to Ethan.

A quiet understanding crossed his face.

“Do you want to leave?” he asked calmly.

Maya looked at him, slightly surprised.

“No,” she said after a moment. “Why should I?”

Daniel’s lips curved slightly. “Good answer.”

And just like that, they kept walking.

Past Ethan.

Past Zara.

Past the tension hanging in the air.

Maya didn’t stop.

Didn’t slow down.

Didn’t greet him first.

And for some reason…

That bothered Ethan more than rejection ever could.

—

Later that afternoon, Maya sat outside near the faculty building, reviewing notes while waiting for Ada.

The weather was calm, windy enough to make the trees sway softly overhead.

For once, everything felt peaceful.

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

Maya looked up slowly.

Ethan.

She stared at him for a second before closing her notebook calmly.

“I haven’t.”

“You have.”

“No,” she corrected. “I just haven’t been looking for you.”

Ethan frowned slightly.

That line again.

He stepped closer. “You keep saying that.”

“Because it’s true.”

A brief silence followed.

Then Ethan glanced at the closed notebook in her lap. “You’ve changed a lot.”

Maya leaned back slightly. “People keep saying that.”

“Maybe because it’s obvious.”

She looked at him carefully.

For the first time, he didn’t sound casual.

He sounded… bothered.

And somehow, that realization gave her more clarity than satisfaction.

Ethan sat beside her before she could respond.

Not too close.

But close enough.

Maya stiffened slightly, more surprised than uncomfortable.

“You and Daniel seem close,” he said.

There it was again.

Daniel.

Maya tilted her head slightly. “Why are you so interested?”

“I’m not interested.”

“You ask about him a lot for someone who isn’t interested.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened briefly.

Then he looked away. “I’m just trying to understand.”

“Understand what?”

He hesitated.

And for a moment, Maya genuinely thought he might say something honest.

But instead, he shrugged lightly. “Nothing.”

Maya studied him quietly.

Then nodded once. “Okay.”

The silence between them stretched.

Not awkward.

Just unfinished.

Then Ethan spoke again, softer this time.

“Do you hate me?”

Maya blinked.

That question caught her off guard.

“No.”

“You don’t?”

She shook her head slowly. “Hating you would mean I’m still holding on to something.”

His expression shifted slightly at that.

“And you’re not?”

Maya looked ahead at the open campus.

Students walking.

Voices blending into the background.

Life continuing normally.

Then she answered quietly.

“No.”

The word hit harder than she expected it to.

And clearly, harder than he expected too.

Because Ethan went unusually still.

Maya noticed.

But she didn’t rescue him from it.

Before, she would have softened immediately.

Before, she would have worried about hurting him.

Now?

She simply told the truth.

—

At the other side of campus, Zara sat with her friends, but her attention kept drifting.

Toward Ethan.

Toward Maya.

Toward whatever this strange tension was becoming.

“You think he likes her now?” one of her friends asked quietly.

Zara’s expression tightened slightly.

“No,” she replied quickly.

But even she didn’t fully believe it.

Because Ethan had changed too.

Subtly.

But noticeably.

More distracted.

More observant.

More affected.

And Zara hated that she noticed it.

—

Back outside, Maya stood up slowly.

“I should go,” she said.

Ethan looked up at her immediately. “Already?”

The question slipped out too naturally.

Too quickly.

Maya noticed.

So did he.

She adjusted her bag slightly. “Ada’s waiting for me.”

“Oh.”

A pause.

Then Ethan stood too.

For a second, neither moved.

Then he said quietly, “You know… I never meant to hurt you.”

Maya’s expression softened slightly.

Not romantically.

Not emotionally.

Just humanly.

“I know,” she replied.

And strangely enough…

That almost made him feel worse.

Because if she hated him, maybe this would’ve been easier.

But she didn’t.

She had simply… moved beyond him.

And Ethan was beginning to realize how terrifying that felt.

—

That night, Maya lay on her bed staring at the ceiling.

Ada glanced at her from across the room. “You’ve been quiet.”

“I’m thinking.”

“That’s dangerous.”

Maya laughed softly.

Then after a moment, she said, “Do you think people can realize things too late?”

Ada looked at her carefully. “About love?”

“About people.”

Ada thought for a second.

Then nodded slowly. “All the time.”

Maya went silent again.

Because deep down…

She could feel it happening.

Ethan was changing.

But the strange part was…

She wasn’t sure it mattered anymore.

—

Across campus, Ethan sat alone in his room, replaying every conversation they’d had recently.

Every look.

Every answer.

Every moment she walked away without looking back.

And for the first time in a very long time…

He missed someone.

Not because they left.

But because they no longer reached for him the same way.

And somehow…

That hurt more than he expected.