It was one of those calm evenings where everything outside felt too still
The kind of silence that forces you to think.
Maya sat on the couch, laptop closed, pretending to scroll on her phone. But her mind wasn't there. It was looping, replaying that day. The words she'd thrown.
The look on Daniel's face after.
She looked up when she heard his footsteps in the hallway. Daniel , in a plain black tee, sleeves rolled just enough to show the faint veins on his arms , walked in with that usually compose posture, But his eyes… they looked tired.
"Hey," she said softly, testing the word like it might break between them.
"Hey." His voice was calm, careful.
A pause stretched between them , not awkward, but weighted.
"I was actually waiting for you," Maya admitted, voice dropping a little.
Daniel raised a brow, leaning against the doorframe. "Oh yeah? What for?"
She inhaled slowly, fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of her oversized tee.
"For that night," she said finally. "When I said you… used me."
Daniel's posture changed, the teasing in his face fading instantly.
"Maya—"
"No," she interrupted quickly, shaking her head. "You don't have to say anything. I just, I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't fair. I was angry, and hurt, and… confused, I guess. But you didn't deserve that."
Her voice cracked slightly on the last word, and she hated that it did.
Daniel's jaw tightened, then softened. He walked over, sat beside her, too close, close enough that she could feel his warmth.
He stared at his hands for a moment before speaking.
"You know what's weird?" he said quietly. "That sentence, it actually made me think. Really think."
Maya turned her head, eyes flicking to him. "Think about what?"
He let out a small laugh ,more breath than sound. "About whether you were right."
"What?" she blinked.
Daniel rubbed the back of his neck, looking almost embarrassed for once.
"I thought maybe… maybe I was using you. Not intentionally," he added quickly, "but emotionally. Like, leaning on you more than I should've. Wanting you around because it made everything easier to breathe again. That kind of thing."
Maya's chest tightened. "Daniel…"
"But then," he continued, voice low, "I realized it wasn't just comfort. It wasn't because you were convenient or new. It's something else."
He looked at her then , really looked.
And in that moment, the air felt heavier, warmer.
"What do you mean?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
He smiled a little, but it was the soft kind , the kind that hides more than it shows.
"I don't know yet," he admitted. "Maybe it's that halo thing. You know , when you start seeing someone in a way that blurs everything else? When they just... glow in your head, no matter what you try to tell yourself."
Maya's lips parted, words failing her for once.
He looked away, exhaling. "Maybe that's what this is. Or maybe it's something real. I can't tell anymore."
The room went quiet again , except this time, it was a softer silence.
A kind that didn't hurt.
Maya slowly reached out, her fingers brushing his hand.
"Daniel…" she murmured. "For what it's worth, I think it's real. Because I feel it too. Even when I tried not to."
He turned his hand, their fingers intertwining naturally.
"I hate that you cried because of me," he said, voice low. "You don't deserve that."
Maya shook her head. "You didn't make me cry. My own mess did. You just... showed me the truth."
Daniel exhaled slowly, eyes tracing her face , the curve of her jaw, the way her lashes trembled when she blinked.
It wasn't hunger in his look, not this time. It was something quieter, deeper.
He lifted a hand, brushing her hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered a little longer than necessary.
She didn't pull away.
"I keep telling myself to stay detached," he murmured. "That I'm too old to feel this way again. But every time I see you, it's like my mind just… stops."
Maya's lips parted slightly, a soft breath escaping. "Then stop fighting it."
He froze for a second , like she'd said something he didn't expect. Then he laughed, quietly, shaking his head.
"You make it sound simple."
"It is simple," she said, leaning in just enough that he could feel her breath against his cheek. "You either want to keep pretending, or you want to feel."
Daniel's chest rose sharply.
He turned his head, and suddenly, they were inches apart.
Her eyes flicked to his mouth. He saw it. Felt it. That pull again , electric, maddening.
He didn't rush it.
He just leaned in, slow enough that she could stop him. She didn't.
When their lips met, it wasn't wild this time ,it was deliberate. Warm. A long, unhurried exhale that spoke more than words could.
His hand moved to the back of her neck, thumb tracing slow circles against her skin. She tilted into his touch, deepening the kiss naturally, like she'd been waiting for this exact moment to breathe again.
They pulled apart just slightly, foreheads touching, both of them catching their breath ,smiling, soft, a little dazed.
"Okay," Daniel murmured, his voice a low promise. "I'm done pretending."
Maya smiled back, her voice a whisper. "Good. Because I'm not planning on letting you, and now my prince charming please start from where we left"...