"You seem happier," Tisha pointed out one afternoon.
Ellie hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. I think I am."
Tisha studied her for a moment. "So… Angel, huh?"
Ellie felt her face warm. "It's not like that."
"Yet," Tisha said knowingly, with a raised eyebrow.
Ellie didn't argue. Because, truthfully, she wasn't sure anymore.
Astrid had been fire passionate, overwhelming, impossible to ignore. But Kyla… Kyla was steady. She was warm in a different, quieter way.
"Do you like her for real?" Tisha asked.
"Who?"
Tisha rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious? Kyla, of course."
Ellie looked away. "I still don't know."
"What if you just gave yourself a chance to fall in love again?"
"And what if it fails again?"
"Then at least you tried." With that, Tisha turned on her heel and walked away, tossing Ellie a smirk over her shoulder.
Ellie stood frozen, her mind spinning.
*What if… what if I give myself another chance to fall in love? And if it fails, just let it?*
What if…
But no.
Kyla had been good to her from the beginning. And even though Ellie was starting to feel something ,something real—she still refused to admit it. She had one rule: **never** date a friend.
But how long could she hide her true feelings?
Just then, her phone buzzed with a message from Kyla.
**Kyla:** *Ellie, I can't hold it anymore. Help me!*
Ellie didn't hesitate. She grabbed her bag, bolted out of the campus building, and jumped into her car. Heart pounding, she put the phone on speaker and called her.
"Kyla, where are you? Wait for me, I'm coming!"
Through the speaker, she heard Kyla sobbing.
"I'm… I'm in the park."
"Okay, I'll be there soon. Just hang on."
Kyla's voice was shaking, and it scared Ellie. She had never heard her like that. And suddenly, nothing else mattered.
The city blurred past Ellie as she sped through the streets, fingers tight on the steering wheel. Her heart thumped harder than the engine's roar, and the fear creeping into her chest made it hard to breathe.
*Kyla, please be okay.*
The last time she had heard Kyla cry really cry was back when they were just classmates, and Kyla had found out her older brother got into a motorcycle accident. That time, Ellie had comforted her with nothing but awkward pats on the back and silent presence. Now, hearing that trembling voice again shattered something inside her.
The sun had already dipped low, casting orange hues across the sky. Trees lining the edge of the park looked like tall silhouettes against the dying light. As she neared the entrance, she could feel her throat tighten.
Ellie parked roughly along the side of the road and jumped out, leaving the door half-closed. She didn't even bother locking it. Her only thought was Kyla.
She ran past the benches, ignoring the few curious people scattered around. Then she saw her sitting on a bench beneath the old acacia tree, shoulders shaking, hands covering her face.
"Kyla!" Ellie called out, rushing toward her.
Kyla looked up, eyes red and swollen. "Ellie…"
Ellie knelt in front of her, gripping her hands. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
Kyla shook her head slowly, then crumbled forward into Ellie's arms, clutching her like a lifeline.
"I… I couldn't keep it in anymore," Kyla whispered, her breath hitching. "I've been holding it in for so long, and I didn't know who to run to… I didn't know who would understand."
"I'm here," Ellie whispered, rubbing her back. "I'm right here."
They stayed like that for a moment, Kyla sobbing into Ellie's shoulder as the park grew quieter and shadows lengthened. It wasn't until Kyla had calmed slightly that Ellie gently pulled back to look into her eyes.
"Tell me what's going on," Ellie said softly.
Kyla exhaled, shaky. "It's everything. My dad… he wants me to quit art school. He says it's a waste of time, that I should do something 'real.' And my mom just agrees with him. They don't get it. They've never even looked at my work. And then…" She paused, swallowing hard. "Then there's… you."
Ellie blinked. "Me?"
Kyla nodded. "Ellie, I've been trying so hard to stay just your friend. But I can't anymore. I think I—no, I *know* I've fallen for you."
Ellie stared at her, heart hammering in her chest.
"I know you don't date friends. You told Tisha. I heard you once when you said that. But I can't lie anymore. Every time I see you, I want to tell you how much you mean to me. And it hurts… it hurts so much pretending I don't feel this way."
Ellie couldn't speak for a moment. The wind stirred leaves around them, and she felt the world slow down.
"I've liked you for a while," she finally said. "But I was scared. Scared it would ruin what we have."
Kyla's eyes widened. "You… you like me too?"
"I do." Ellie nodded, her voice almost a whisper. "I didn't want to admit it. Because you matter to me. You've been my peace… and I was afraid if I reached out, it would all disappear."
Kyla wiped her cheeks, a small hopeful smile forming through the tears. "But what if it doesn't disappear? What if it turns into something even better?"
Ellie sat beside her, their shoulders brushing.
"Then maybe," Ellie said, "I should break my own rule."
They sat in silence again, a more peaceful kind, letting the moment settle.
"You know," Kyla said after a while, voice still hoarse but steadier, "I always thought love had to be loud and wild. The kind of love that burns. Like what you had with Astrid."
Ellie looked down at her hands. "Astrid was a wildfire. Beautiful, yes, but uncontrollable. She left me scorched."
Kyla glanced at her. "And what am I?"
"You're the sun," Ellie whispered. "You rise slowly, warm everything gently, and make me feel safe without blinding me."
Kyla blinked fast, another tear slipping down her cheek, this one softer. "I love that. I love you."
Ellie's breath caught. "You don't have to say that now. Not when you're hurting."
"I'm not saying it to fix my pain. I'm saying it because it's true."
Ellie took Kyla's hand, lacing their fingers. "Then give me time. Not because I don't want this… but because I want to do it right."
Kyla nodded, smiling through the tears. "I'll wait."
The next day, things didn't go back to normal but they didn't fall apart either.
At school, Ellie and Kyla walked together, like always, but something unspoken floated between them now. Their hands brushed occasionally, and though they didn't hold each other's gaze too long, there was a promise in every look.
Tisha cornered Ellie near the lockers. "So… how's Kyla?"
Ellie raised an eyebrow. "Why do you sound like a gossiping auntie?"
Tisha laughed. "Just making sure you didn't mess it up."
"I didn't."
"Good." Tisha smiled and nudged her. "I saw the way you looked at her yesterday. That's not the kind of look you fake."
Ellie shrugged, but her smile gave her away.
"Seriously though," Tisha continued, voice softening, "you deserve to be happy. Just… let it in, Ellie. You don't have to protect yourself all the time."
Later that afternoon, Ellie found Kyla again in the art room. She was painting head tilted, brush dancing across the canvas. There was paint on her cheek, her nose. She looked focused. Calm.
Beautiful.
Ellie stood quietly at the door for a moment before stepping inside.
"What are you painting?" she asked.
Kyla turned, a bit startled, then smiled. "Nothing yet. Just letting the colors talk."
Ellie moved closer and looked at the blend of soft purples and oranges on the canvas. "It's peaceful."
"It's you," Kyla said without hesitation. "You're my peace, Ellie."
Ellie stared at the canvas. Then at Kyla.
And this time, she didn't hesitate.
She leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss on Kyla's paint-smeared cheek.
"I'm not scared anymore," Ellie whispered.
Kyla's breath caught, and her eyes softened. "Then let's try."
"Yeah," Ellie smiled. "Let's."
**Weeks passed.**
The seasons shifted. The trees bloomed, then began to lose their leaves. But something in Ellie bloomed again—slowly but surely.
They went on quiet dates. Nothing grand. Sometimes they just sat under the same tree at the park, the one where Kyla broke down, now turned into a symbol of something new. Sometimes Kyla sketched while Ellie read. Sometimes they just held hands and watched the clouds roll by.
But every moment was something sacred.
Still, Ellie had her days. Moments when the fear returned.
"What if it ends?" she asked one night as they lay on the grass.
Kyla turned her head. "Then we'll have lived something beautiful."
"Even if it doesn't last forever?"
Kyla nodded. "Even then."
Ellie turned toward her. "You're brave."
Kyla laughed gently. "No, I'm just in love."
And Ellie realized, maybe she was too.
Not the wildfire kind.
But the kind that stays.