The silence between Maya and Logan thickened as they sat side by side in the dark, the stale air of the old storage room pressing down on them. The room smelled of forgotten books, paint thinner, and rusted metal. The only sounds were the occasional creaks of the old building and Maya's shallow breathing -- more rapid than usual. The dim flickering light above had long since given up, and now they were wrapped in full, undisturbed blackness.
Logan was already sitting close -- too close. His presence was warm, steady, even soothing in a way that annoyed her. She'd told him to move, had barked at him with all the venom she could muster. But now, in the quiet suffocating dark, she had whispered for him not to leave her alone.
He hadn't. He stayed. His arm brushed against hers lightly.
"I hate this," Maya muttered, more to herself than to him. "This dark, this… this space, you…"
"I know," Logan said softly, his voice lower than she remembered it ever being. "You always hated the dark."
Maya tensed. He remembered.
She bit her lip and turned away even though she couldn't see him. "Don't talk like you know me."
"I do know you," he said, the words coming out firmer now. "At least… I used to."
"That was before you humiliated me."
Silence.
The heaviness of her words lingered. Logan exhaled, slow and almost pained. "You're right."
Maya closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry. It wasn't just the dark that was closing in -- it was all of it. Him. The past. The betrayal.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, Maya," he said, voice strained. "It wasn't supposed to happen like that."
She gave a short laugh, bitter and sharp. "You dumped me like I was a bad habit. In front of everyone. What part of that wasn't supposed to happen?"
He shifted beside her, and she felt his hand move slightly, unsure if it meant to reach for her or not.
"My family…" he began, then stopped. He drew in a breath. "Brielle and I...it wasn't real. It was arranged. Our families… her dad is friends with mine. It was always about business, image, politics."
Maya's heart slammed once in her chest.
"She's… it's just an agreement," Logan continued. "We act the part, go to events, smile at cameras. But it's empty. I never… I never felt anything for her. Not like I felt for you."
"Stop," Maya snapped, voice trembling. "Don't say that now."
"I have to. You deserve to know," he said, leaning just slightly toward her. "I messed up. I was scared. I let them pressure me, and I threw you away because it was easier than fighting back. But I regretted it the second I walked away."
Maya looked away -- though there was nothing to look at in the dark.
"I miss you," he whispered. "Every part of you. Your laugh, your anger, your sarcasm -- your kindness, even when I didn't deserve it."
She swallowed hard, fists clenched in her lap. She didn't want to fall for it. She didn't want to be that girl again.
"I'm breaking up with Brielle," he said. "I don't care what it costs me. I want to fix this. I want you back."
Silence stretched between them again.
"You don't just get to come back because you suddenly regret it," she said, her voice cracking.
"I know," he whispered. "But I'm still going to try."
A beat passed. Then another.
Maya drew in a shaky breath, eyes wide despite the dark. "I'm scared," she admitted finally, voice almost too small to hear. "Not just of the dark. Of you. Of… falling again."
Logan turned slightly toward her. She felt his presence shift. "You don't have to fall. Just lean. I'll hold you."
He moved, slowly, carefully, and she felt his arms brush hers again -- gentler now. She didn't pull away. And when his hand found hers, she didn't stop him.
Then came the silence. That aching kind of silence where the air grows thin and full of emotion, where a single breath feels too loud.
And he leaned in.
Her heart raced, and her body didn't move -- didn't push him away.
His hand cupped her cheek slowly, with a reverence that shook her. Their lips were close -- so close she could feel the heat of him. She didn't know if she was trembling from fear, confusion, or something else.
Their lips nearly touched.
And that was when..
Footsteps.
A scuff. Then a voice, calling out, faint and searching: "Maya?"
She flinched away instantly, breath catching as her heart thundered.
"Damien?" she called, scrambling to her feet.
There was a pause. Then, louder: "Maya? You're still in there?"
"Y-Yes!" she said quickly. "It's locked! I...Logan's here too."
There was silence outside. Then Damien's voice again, sharper now. "Logan?"
"Yeah," Logan answered, his tone dry but calm.
Another pause.
"Alright, stay put. I'll get someone."
Maya's chest heaved as she heard footsteps retreat down the hallway.
She turned back to Logan, her voice quiet and guarded. "That shouldn't have happened."
He didn't argue. Just gave her a look she couldn't see but could feel.
Moments later, Damien returned with a janitor who unlocked the door. The burst of hallway light was blinding after so long in the dark.
Damien's gaze immediately landed on Logan and Maya's proximity. His brows drew together subtly.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
Maya nodded stiffly.
Then Damien looked at the wall clock nearby and turned to Maya. "Dorms are closed by now. You can't get in tonight."
"Oh," Maya said, biting her lip. She hadn't even realized the time.
"You can stay at my place," Damien offered, glancing at Logan with a guarded look. "If you want."
Maya hesitated.
Logan took a step forward. "I'll tag along too..."
"No," Damien cut in sharply, eyes never leaving Maya. "She's staying with me."
Logan blinked at him, jaw twitching, but said nothing.
Maya didn't speak either. The air between them had changed. Something fragile, something deep, had cracked in that storage room -- and it wasn't just the darkness.
She stepped forward, out into the light, and left Logan standing there alone.