The morning light filtered through the window, casting a soft glow on Eliana's bed as she sat up, the remnants of her restless night still clinging to her. Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, the screen lighting up with a message from Zayne.
Hey, Eliana. I'm looking forward to talking today. See you soon?
Eliana stared at the message for a moment, her heart thudding in her chest. She hadn't expected him to reach out first. It was a relief, but also a reminder of just how complicated everything had become. She typed back quickly, trying to keep the nervous excitement out of her tone.
Definitely. See you soon, Zayne.
After getting ready, Eliana met Clara on campus. Clara had been a steady presence lately, offering advice and calming her nerves. But even Clara's comforting smile couldn't ease the churning in Eliana's stomach. Today felt different important, even.
"You okay?" Clara asked, noticing Eliana's distracted expression as they walked to their first class together.
Eliana forced a smile. "Yeah. Just… waiting for today to be over, I guess."
Clara raised an eyebrow. "You've been waiting for this conversation with Zayne for days. Why would you want it to be over?"
Eliana shrugged. "I don't know. What if it doesn't go how I expect? What if we talk and things get worse?"
Clara's smile softened. "You're thinking too much. All you can do is be yourself. If things go south, then you'll know where you stand. But if you don't give it a chance, you might regret it."
Eliana nodded, trying to take Clara's words to heart. It was just a conversation, after all. One conversation that could change everything or leave things exactly the same.
After class, Eliana found herself walking toward the courtyard, where she was supposed to meet Zayne. She spotted him standing near a bench, hands in his pockets, looking out toward the campus grounds. He looked calm, but there was an air of tension about him that Eliana couldn't ignore.
"Hey," she said softly, her voice carrying an edge of nervousness.
Zayne turned toward her, offering a small but warm smile. "Hey, Eliana. Thanks for meeting me."
She nodded, feeling a lump form in her throat. "Of course. I didn't know if you wanted to talk after everything that's happened."
Zayne stepped closer, his eyes meeting hers. "I know things have been a little weird lately. But I don't want to avoid this. We need to figure it out."
Eliana swallowed hard, the weight of the moment sinking in. "I agree. I don't want things to stay like this. I don't want you to think I've been ignoring you, or… pushing you away."
Zayne's expression softened. "I never thought that. I just… I've been confused. Things got complicated really fast, and I didn't know how to handle it."
Eliana nodded, feeling a strange sense of relief that Zayne wasn't blaming her. "I know what you mean. But I don't want to let anything get in the way of us talking. I've been feeling like we've both been walking around with all this unspoken stuff."
Zayne's gaze grew more intense. "I don't want to lose you, Eliana. But I'm also not sure if I'm doing this right. Sometimes, it feels like I'm not the kind of person you need."
Eliana's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
Zayne rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "I don't know. You're smart, and you've got everything figured out. I'm… not like that. I don't always know what I'm doing. And sometimes, I wonder if I'm the right person for you."
Eliana was taken aback by his words. She had never expected Zayne to doubt himself in this way. She reached out, her fingers brushing his arm lightly. "Zayne, I don't need you to have everything figured out. I just want you to be real with me. That's all."
Zayne looked down at her hand for a moment before meeting her gaze. "I want that too. But it feels like there's something between us that's holding me back. And I don't know if it's me or if it's someone else."
Eliana's mind raced as the words hung between them. She knew exactly who he was talking about. Vanessa. She had been so quick to blame herself, to think that she was doing something wrong, but now, hearing Zayne's uncertainty, she couldn't ignore the possibility that Vanessa had played a part in this.
"I think… I think we need to talk about what's been happening with Vanessa," Eliana said cautiously, watching Zayne's reaction.
He stiffened, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What do you mean?"
Eliana took a deep breath. "I don't want to make assumptions, but I've noticed how she's been acting around us. It's like she's trying to get in the way. I don't know why, but it feels like she's been pushing us apart."
Zayne looked away for a moment, then sighed. "I know. I've noticed it too. But I didn't want to bring it up because I didn't want to make things worse. She's always been there for me, and I didn't want to make her feel like I was choosing sides."
Eliana's chest tightened. "But you are choosing sides, Zayne. You're choosing me, right?"
Zayne finally met her eyes, his gaze steady. "Of course. I've been trying to figure things out. But I don't want to lose her friendship either. It's just… complicated."
Eliana swallowed the lump in her throat. "You don't owe her anything. You deserve to be happy. We deserve to figure this out without any interference."
Zayne nodded, but there was still hesitation in his eyes. "I don't know what's going to happen with Vanessa, but I'm willing to try. I don't want to lose what we have."
A sense of hope flickered in Eliana's chest, but it was tempered by the growing realization that there was still a lot left unsaid. "I think we need to talk to her, Zayne. We can't keep pretending that things are fine when they're not."
Zayne seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah. You're right. We'll talk to her."
Eliana smiled, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. For the first time in days, she felt like things might actually be on the mend. But there was still a part of her that couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Vanessa wouldn't go down without a fight.
As they stood there in the courtyard, the tension between them lifted just slightly, but Eliana knew that the real conversation was still ahead. And this time, it would be with Vanessa.