Clara hadn't stepped out of her room since the argument.Her textbooks lay open across the bed, but the words blurred together every time she tried to read.No matter how many times she told herself to move on, Luiz's face — his voice — kept slipping back into her thoughts.
She scrolled through her phone aimlessly.Social feeds were filled with laughing friends, campus parties, couples posting weekend pictures.She turned the screen off, tossed it aside, and buried her face into her pillow.
"Was it all a lie?"Her own words echoed back in her mind like a curse.
She wanted to hate him. She really did.But part of her still hoped he'd call — just to say sorry, or I miss you, or even goodbye.
When her roommate knocked gently, Clara wiped her tears quickly."Clara? You've barely eaten all day," she said.
"I'm fine," Clara muttered. "Just tired."
Her roommate sighed. "He's not worth it, you know. Guys like him always think they can fix things later."
Clara forced a small laugh that sounded nothing like her. "Yeah… maybe."
After the door closed again, she sat up and stared at her sketchbook on the desk.Drawing had always helped her think — but tonight, her pencil moved on its own.When she looked down, the outline staring back at her made her chest tighten.
It was Luiz.Head bowed. Eyes distant.Exactly how she'd last seen him.
Her hand trembled. She shut the book quickly, exhaling shakily.
"Why can't I just let you go?" she whispered into the silence.