Maya woke up to a silence that felt too heavy. The world outside seemed so loud, but inside her apartment, the quiet was deafening. She sat up in bed, the weight of everything pressing down on her chest. Ivan's words, Kian's silence, her own confusion—it was all too much. She had tried to ignore it for as long as she could, but now, there was no escaping the fact that her life had become a tangled web of emotions, expectations, and broken promises.
She glanced at her phone, half expecting a message from Kian, but there was nothing. Just an empty screen that seemed to mock her, reminding her that the man she cared for was just... gone. How could she have been so blind? How could she have let herself fall for someone who had already been claimed by someone else? It didn't make sense. The love she felt for him, the pull she couldn't escape—was it even real, or was it just the result of her own loneliness, her own inability to let go?
Her fingers hovered over the screen, debating whether or not to text him. But deep down, she knew it wouldn't change anything. There were too many layers between them now, too much history, too much pain. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that no matter what happened, no matter how much she wanted things to be different, she couldn't undo the past.
Maya stood up and walked to the kitchen, her feet dragging on the cold floor. The house felt colder than usual, the air thick with unspoken things. She poured herself a cup of coffee, hoping the warmth would clear her mind, but it did little to soothe the turmoil inside. It was like she was living in a fog, unable to see clearly, to think clearly. Every decision she made felt like it was leading her further away from herself.
The sudden buzz of her phone broke through the silence, and Maya's heart skipped a beat. She looked at the screen. Kian. He had messaged her.
We need to talk.
Those three words sent a shockwave through her. Her mind raced, unsure of what to feel. Was this it? Was Kian finally ready to confront what was happening between them? Or was it just another false hope, another one of those moments that only left her more confused?
Before she could even think about responding, the doorbell rang, and Maya froze. Her heart stuttered in her chest. She had no idea who it was, but for some reason, she already had a bad feeling. It wasn't Kian, but someone else. Someone who always managed to complicate things when she least expected it.
She made her way to the door slowly, hesitating for a moment before opening it. And there he was—Ivan, standing in the doorway, his usual cold expression in place. The tension in the air was almost tangible, thick with the weight of everything that had happened, everything that was still unsaid.
"I'm not in the mood for this," Maya said, her voice tight, before Ivan could even say a word.
He didn't move, just stood there with his eyes locked on hers, a faint glint of something unreadable in his gaze. "We need to talk," he said, his voice firm but not unkind. There was something almost... apologetic in the way he said it, though Maya couldn't quite place it.
"I've heard that before," Maya shot back, her frustration bubbling over. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hold herself together. She didn't want to deal with this—didn't want to deal with him—but deep down, she knew that if she didn't confront it now, it would only make things worse.
Ivan stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, his presence commanding, as usual. Maya didn't move, standing at the door as if bracing herself for whatever was about to unfold.
"I'm not here to argue, Maya," he said, his voice softer now, almost too calm. It was the kind of calm that made her uncomfortable, like he was trying to convince her of something that wasn't true. "I just... I need you to understand something."
Maya's eyes narrowed. "What is it this time, Ivan? What do you want me to understand?"
His gaze shifted for a moment, and Maya could see the tension in his jaw, the faint flicker of something that looked like regret. "It's not just about you and Kian," Ivan said, his words slow and deliberate. "It's about me too."
Maya blinked, taken aback. She wasn't sure she'd heard him right. "What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice dropping to a quieter tone. She could feel her heart beating faster now, a sense of unease creeping over her.
Ivan met her gaze, his eyes dark and intense. "I'm not just Kian's boyfriend, Maya. I'm not just here because of him." He paused, as if weighing his words. "I'm here because of you."
The words hit her like a slap. Maya stepped back, instinctively putting some distance between them. "What do you mean? I don't... I don't understand. You and Kian—"
"I know," Ivan interrupted, his voice sharp now, almost impatient. "You think it's all about Kian. But it's not. I'm here because of what's between us, Maya."
Her heart stopped. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Did he really just admit that there was something more than just Kian between them? She couldn't process it. She couldn't. But the way he was looking at her, the way his words hung in the air between them... it made her feel like she was caught in something she didn't want to be part of.
"No," Maya whispered, shaking her head. "No, Ivan. This—this isn't happening. It's not... it's not possible. Not with you."
Ivan's expression softened slightly, the hardness in his eyes fading just a bit. "I didn't expect you to understand right away," he said quietly. "But I can't keep pretending like nothing is happening between us, like I don't see what's there. It's not just Kian. It's you and me too."
Maya felt the ground shift beneath her feet, the walls closing in as his words hit her harder than she ever expected. She wanted to push him away, wanted to scream at him to leave, to get out of her life. But at the same time, a part of her... a small, dangerous part of her, wondered if maybe Ivan was right.
Maybe there was something more.
But she couldn't admit that. Not now. Not after everything that had happened.
"I don't know what you want from me, Ivan," she said, her voice shaking. "But I'm not going to do this. Not with you. Not with anyone."
Ivan seemed to consider this for a moment, before nodding slowly. "I didn't think you would," he said quietly, before turning to leave. But as he reached the door, he paused and looked back at her, his gaze steady. "But don't think this is over, Maya. Not by a long shot."
And with that, he was gone, leaving Maya standing in the doorway, the weight of his words heavy in the air.