Ficool

Chapter 21 - A Familiar Comfort

Ellie didn't expect to feel anything when she met up with Kyla again. But sitting across from her in a quiet café, she was surprised by how natural it felt.

Kyla had always been warm effortlessly kind in a way that made it easy to be around her. Unlike Astrid, who had always sparked something intense in Ellie, Kyla made her feel… calm.

"You look tired," Kyla noted, stirring her drink. "Rough few weeks?"

Ellie sighed. "Something like that."

Kyla tilted her head. "Want to talk about it?"

For a second, Ellie considered telling her everything. About Cloud. About Astrid. About the mess in her heart. But the words didn't come. Instead, she found herself saying, "I think I just need a break from it all."

Kyla nodded in understanding. "Then let's make today about that. No stress, no drama. Just… us."

And for the first time in weeks, Ellie let herself breathe.

Kyla grabs Ellie's hand and pull it hard,they both run like a kid that didn't know where to go,and then suddenly they finally stopped.

"What is this place," Ellie asked with a gentle smile on her face

Kyla make a serious face then smirk "If I felt any sadness in my heart I just went here and my heart warms itself,and I thought that maybe if I brings you here all the sadness inside you will be gone and will replace it with joy and happiness"

Ellie felt something was wrong with her.

"Maybe..... maybe...maybe I'm falling for her,No!!! No!!! No!!! It can't be,she was just my friend,"Ellie whispers to herself while looking at Kyla's fine face

And maybe she was really falling for her.....

But no, she can't be.

"Hey Ellie wanna play in the water?" Kyla pulled her.

"Hey!! I don't want to get wet," Ellie screamed like a 5 year old kid avoiding to get wet.

"Ellie stop, I'm getting wet."

"Oh, sorry. I thought it was already deep, but the water can only hit my toes."

"Gasshhh Ellie that was so childish," Kyla scratched her head.

Of course! Here's a heartfelt, 2,000-word continuation of your story in a warm, humanized style. It follows Ellie's blossoming moments with Kyla, her growing emotional confusion, and also shifts to a dinner scene between Astrid and Cloud where they reflect on Ellie—how she looked, what she didn't say, and everything they didn't realize until it was too late.

---

The water shimmered in the sunlight as it rippled around Ellie's ankles. She stood barefoot beside Kyla at the edge of a quiet creek just beyond the park, the place Kyla had dragged her to after they'd left the café.

It was peaceful.

The sound of running water, the rustling trees above, the way the sun filtered through the leaves—it was like stepping into a different world, one where pain didn't follow her so closely. And it wasn't just the place. It was Kyla. It was always Kyla.

Ellie didn't even know how they ended up here, really. One second they were sipping warm drinks across a café table, and the next they were running hand-in-hand through the streets like kids playing tag after school. Kyla had laughed the whole way, her hair whipping in the wind, her hand never letting go of Ellie's.

Now, standing in the water together, Kyla turned toward her, hair slightly damp, a wild grin on her face.

"I told you this place was magic," she said.

Ellie smiled, but her heart was racing. And not just from the run. From something else. Something deeper. Something she was terrified to name.

"You okay?" Kyla asked, reaching down to splash a bit of water at her feet.

"I'm fine," Ellie said automatically.

But she wasn't. Not exactly.

Because there was something happening inside her—something she wasn't ready for. Her heart was betraying her. For the first time in weeks, she didn't feel the ache of Astrid. Not like before. Now, she felt something softer. Something new. Something terrifying.

She watched as Kyla bent to pick up a smooth pebble, her fingers brushing the surface with a thoughtfulness that made Ellie's chest tighten.

Maybe… maybe I'm falling for her, Ellie thought.

Then shook her head quickly.

No. No, no. She was just her friend. Her childhood friend. Her comfort person. That was all.

Wasn't it?

"Ellie?" Kyla tilted her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You spaced out."

Ellie blinked, clearing her throat. "Sorry. Just thinking."

"Dangerous habit," Kyla teased.

"I'm aware."

Kyla took a step closer, and her expression softened. "Whatever it is, it doesn't have to scare you."

Ellie looked down at the water.

Maybe it wasn't the thoughts that scared her.

Maybe it was how right everything felt when she was with Kyla.

"Hey," Kyla said suddenly, "wanna play in the water?"

Ellie looked up, startled. "Wait, what? No—I'm not trying to get soaked!"

Too late.

Kyla grinned wickedly and flicked water at her with both hands, giggling as Ellie screamed and stumbled back, trying not to fall over.

"Kyla! Stop it!"

"C'mon, you big baby! It's just water."

"I'll get cold!"

"It's twenty-eight degrees!"

Still, Ellie couldn't help but laugh. A real laugh. The kind that didn't hurt her chest. The kind she hadn't let out in months. She splashed Kyla back, both of them squealing like five-year-olds in a public fountain.

After a few chaotic minutes, Ellie gave up and sat down on the edge of a rock, breathless, soaked, and smiling like someone who was finally starting to feel alive again.

Kyla dropped beside her, arms resting over her knees, eyes twinkling.

"You good now?" she asked.

Ellie glanced at her.

The way the sun hit Kyla's face. The dimple that appeared when she smiled. The steady way she never once made Ellie feel like a burden.

"I'm better than I've been in a long time," Ellie said quietly.

Kyla's grin softened. "Me too."

And just like that, the silence between them wasn't awkward. It was full of something that neither of them could quite put into words.

Not yet.

Meanwhile, across town in a dimly lit Italian restaurant, Astrid sat across from Cloud, her elbow resting on the table, chin propped up in her hand.

They hadn't said much for the first part of the dinner. Just passing conversation. Safe topics. School. Assignments. Nothing personal.

Astrid was swirling her pasta around her fork absentmindedly when she finally broke the silence.

"She looked heartbroken, didn't she?" she said quietly.

Cloud looked up, a little confused. "Who?"

"Ellie," Astrid said, eyes still down on her plate. "That day. When she saw us."

Cloud exhaled, leaning back in his chair. "Yeah. She did."

Astrid shook her head. "I've been thinking about it a lot. The way her eyes looked. Like… like she'd been punched in the stomach."

Cloud nodded slowly. "I noticed too. But she never said anything."

"She doesn't need to," Astrid said. "I knew it the second she looked at me. And now I can't stop wondering if I made everything worse."

Cloud sipped his drink, thoughtful. "It's not your fault, you know. We didn't do anything wrong."

"I know," Astrid murmured. "But I still feel guilty."

"She still loves you," Cloud said gently.

Astrid looked up at him. "Do you think so?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah. I think that's why she's been so distant. Why she stopped talking to me."

"I thought she was over it," Astrid whispered. "She never said anything. I thought we were just… friends again."

Cloud didn't respond right away.

"She loved you hard," he finally said. "You were her first real everything."

Astrid's throat tightened.

"I never meant to hurt her," she said, voice trembling slightly.

"I know," Cloud said. "But sometimes, even when you don't mean to… you do."

Astrid stared out the window beside them, watching the city lights blur past.

"Do you think she hates us?"

"No," Cloud said softly. "But I think… she's learning to let go."

Astrid didn't answer.

Because deep down, she wasn't sure she wanted Ellie to.

Back at the creek, the sun had nearly disappeared, and Ellie and Kyla were lying on the grass now, their clothes drying slowly in the warm air.

Ellie turned her head toward Kyla.

"I've never felt this peaceful," she said.

Kyla looked over at her. "You've had a lot to carry. You deserve a break."

Ellie hesitated. "Kyla… why did you wait so long to tell me how you felt?"

Kyla's breath caught a little, but she didn't look away. "Because I didn't want to love a version of you that wasn't ready. And I knew… you weren't ready for someone new while you were still hurting over someone old."

Ellie nodded slowly.

"I don't know what this is," she admitted. "I don't want to hurt you by not knowing."

"You won't," Kyla said. "I'm not asking for promises. I'm just happy to be wherever you are, for as long as you'll let me."

Ellie's heart swelled.

There was no pressure. No rush. Just presence.

And it felt like love. Not the burning, consuming kind she'd had with Astrid. But the kind that healed you. The kind that stayed.

She sat up, brushing dirt from her arms.

Then reached for Kyla's hand again, like she had before.

Only this time, she didn't let go.

That night, after her shower, Ellie sat on her bed and stared at her phone.

There was a message from Astrid she hadn't opened.

Just a simple: *Can we talk soon?*

Ellie didn't reply.

Not out of anger. Not out of pain.

But because, for the first time, she didn't feel like she needed closure anymore.

She was finding something new.

And this time, she didn't want to look back.

More Chapters