Ava tried not to think about him after that conversation.
Tried.
But Nicholas had a way of staying in her thoughts even when he wasn't physically around.
It wasn't loud anymore.
It was quieter now.
Worse.
Because quiet things settle deeper.
Later that afternoon, Ava sat outside the campus café with her friends—Lila and Maya—trying to act like she was present in the conversation.
Maya was the first to notice something was off.
"You've been zoning out a lot lately," she said, sipping her drink. "Is it still about that Nicholas guy?"
Ava's fingers tightened slightly around her cup.
"It's not 'that Nicholas guy,'" Lila corrected lightly. "It's Nicholas Wolfe."
Maya raised a brow. "Same thing."
Ava let out a small breath. "Can we not do this?"
But Lila leaned forward slightly, more serious now.
"I think you're being too hard on him."
That made Ava look up.
"Excuse me?"
Lila didn't flinch. "I'm just saying… people talk. But from what I've seen, he's not acting like the same guy anymore."
Maya nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Even Jackson and them don't joke around him the same way. He's… different."
Ava frowned slightly. "Different doesn't erase what happened."
"No," Lila agreed softly. "But it shows he's not pretending anymore either."
That landed between them.
Ava looked down at her drink.
"I don't care what he's becoming," she said quietly.
But her voice didn't sound as firm as she wanted it to.
Maya tilted her head slightly. "You sure about that?"
Ava didn't answer immediately.
Because she wasn't.
Not fully.
Lila leaned back in her chair. "I saw him in the library yesterday."
Ava's eyes lifted slightly before she could stop herself.
Maya noticed immediately. "Oh? And?"
Lila hesitated. "He wasn't… the same."
Ava frowned. "What does that even mean?"
"He wasn't surrounded by people," Lila explained. "No Chloe. No group. Just him. Studying. Alone."
That name made something tighten in Ava's chest.
Maya added, "And apparently he told Chloe to back off in front of people. Like actually told her off."
Ava blinked slightly.
That part she hadn't known.
Lila nodded. "Yeah. People were talking about it. Said he looked serious. Not playful-serious. Like… final."
Ava looked away quickly.
"Good for him," she said flatly.
But it came out too fast.
Too defensive.
Maya leaned in slightly, softer now. "Ava… I'm not saying forgive him overnight. But maybe you should stop punishing him for the version of him that doesn't even exist anymore."
That made the air shift.
Ava went quiet.
Because that was the problem.
Everyone was seeing a different Nicholas now.
Not the one from the bus.
Not the one from the rumors.
But a version she hadn't fully processed yet.
And that made everything more complicated.
That evening, Ava left her friends earlier than usual.
She told herself she just wanted quiet.
But even in quiet…
He was still there.
Everywhere.
She walked past the courtyard again without meaning to slow down.
And of course—
He was there.
Nicholas.
Standing near the edge of the field, hands in his pockets, looking out at nothing in particular.
Not performing.
Not surrounded.
Just existing.
Ava stopped without realizing.
From a distance, she watched him.
He looked… tired.
Not physically.
But emotionally.
Like someone who had stopped trying to pretend everything was fine.
Then he turned slightly.
And saw her.
Of course he did.
Ava didn't move this time.
Neither did he.
The distance between them felt smaller than before—even though nothing had physically changed.
Nicholas didn't smile.
Didn't walk toward her.
Just stayed where he was.
Waiting.
Not pushing.
Just there.
Ava swallowed lightly.
And then—
She walked away.
But not as fast this time.
Later that night, Lila texted her.
Lila: You know you don't have to forgive him immediately, right?
Ava stared at the message for a long time.
Then another came.
Lila: But I also don't think you're as over him as you're trying to be.
Ava didn't reply.
Because that part…
Annoyingly…
Was true.
And that was what scared her most.
Not that Nicholas had hurt her.
But that even after everything—
He still felt like something unfinished inside her.
Something she hadn't fully let go of.
Something still… alive.
And far across campus, Nicholas sat alone again.
Phone untouched.
Thoughts louder than usual.
And for the first time since everything began—
He wasn't trying to win her back.
He was just trying not to lose what little connection they still had left.
Even if she couldn't see it yet.
Even if she wasn't ready.
He was still there.
Waiting.
Quietly.