Ariana stared out of her bedroom window, watching the rain slide down the glass in slow, lazy streaks. Her mind wasn't on the weather—it was still on him. On Liam. On the way his eyes lingered a moment too long, the way his voice softened only when he spoke to her, the way the air seemed to shift whenever they were near.
She hated it.
She loved it.
A knock at the door.
She turned quickly, startled. Before she could ask who it was, it opened slightly and Liam peeked in.
"You're not answering your phone," he said.
"I didn't feel like talking," she replied, her voice distant.
Liam stepped in, closing the door behind him. "Then just listen."
She raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"I shouldn't have pulled away yesterday," he began, "But you have to understand… It's not easy seeing you again. Everything we left behind—it didn't disappear."
She swallowed hard, her heart pounding. "Then why are we pretending it did?"
Silence.
Liam took a deep breath, his voice quieter now. "Because I was afraid. Afraid you'd moved on. That I was just someone from a chapter you'd closed."
Ariana looked away, her throat tight. "You were never just a chapter, Liam. You were the whole damn book."
The room went still.
Their eyes locked, and for the first time in years, the weight of their past wasn't something to run from—it was something pulling them together.
Liam moved closer, but Ariana took a step back. "Don't," she whispered.
"Why not?"
"Because if you touch me now… I might fall all over again."
Liam reached out, his fingers brushing her hand. "Then fall, Ariana. I'll catch you this time."
But before she could reply, her phone buzzed on the dresser. She picked it up hesitantly. One look at the screen, and the color drained from her face.
"What is it?" Liam asked, concern flickering across his features.
She turned to him slowly.
"It's Ethan," she said. "He's back."
---
Liam's expression darkened immediately. "What does he want now?"
"I don't know. He just sent a text... 'We need to talk. One last time.' That's all."
Liam clenched his jaw. Ariana could see the storm behind his calm exterior. The last time Ethan was in their lives, it had nearly torn them apart. She wasn't ready to reopen that wound—but it seemed she didn't have a choice.
She placed the phone back on the dresser. "Maybe he deserves that conversation."
"Are you serious?" Liam stepped closer, his voice tense. "After everything he did?"
"This isn't about him," Ariana said. "It's about closure."
Silence fell again, heavier this time.
Liam turned away, his fingers raking through his hair. "Just... be careful."
Ariana nodded. "I will."
He lingered by the door, as if he wanted to say more. But instead, he walked out, leaving her alone in the soft echo of the rain.
Outside, thunder rolled in the distance.
And inside her chest, Ariana felt something shifting—past and present colliding, old wounds reopening.
She wasn't sure what tomorrow would bring.
But one thing was clear:
The past wasn't done with her yet.
---
[To be continued…]