I didn't reply immediately.
I just stared at the message like it might suddenly change into something less terrifying.
We need to talk.
Those words never meant anything good.
Not in movies.
Not in real life.
And definitely not when they came from Daniel.
My fingers hovered over the screen, my heart pounding so loudly it almost felt embarrassing-like someone could hear it through the silence of my room.
What if he noticed?
What if he knew?
What if this was about... us?
No.
There was no "us."
At least, there wasn't supposed to be.
I swallowed hard and finally typed:
About what?
The reply came almost instantly.
Can I see you tomorrow? In person.
My chest tightened.
Of course. It had to be in person.
Serious conversations were always in person.
I hesitated again, biting my lower lip as a thousand thoughts ran through my head.
This wasn't normal.
Daniel wasn't acting normal.
And for some reason... I was scared of what he was going to say.
Okay, I replied.
Just one word.
But it felt like I had just agreed to something that might change everything.
The next day felt... off.
Everything around me seemed slower, heavier.
Even the air felt different.
I barely paid attention in class. My notebook stayed open, but my pen didn't move. My mind was somewhere else entirely.
With him.
"Amara, you're not even writing anything."
I blinked and turned to my friend, Sade, who was staring at me like I had lost my mind.
"Huh?"
She frowned. "You've been acting weird since yesterday. What's going on?"
I forced a small laugh. "Nothing. I'm fine."
She raised an eyebrow. "You? Fine? That's a lie."
I looked away.
Because she was right.
I wasn't fine.
Not when my chest felt like it was carrying something too heavy to name.
Not when I knew I was about to face the one person I had been trying so hard to avoid... and couldn't.
By the time I got to the café, my nerves were completely gone.
Not because I was calm.
But because I had overthought everything already.
Daniel was already there.
Of course he was.
He always arrived early.
He sat at a corner table, his fingers loosely wrapped around a cup of coffee. His head was slightly lowered, like he was deep in thought.
For a moment, I just stood there... watching him.
This was my best friend.
The person I used to run to.
The person who used to make everything feel okay.
So why did he feel like a stranger now?
As if sensing my presence, he looked up.
And there it was again.
That look.
Soft... but distant.
"Hey," he said quietly.
"Hey."
I walked over and sat across from him, trying to ignore how fast my heart was beating.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
The silence stretched between us, thick and uncomfortable.
This wasn't us.
We were never like this.
Daniel exhaled softly, running a hand through his hair. "Thanks for coming."
I forced a small smile. "You said we needed to talk. That sounded serious."
He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Yeah... it is."
My stomach dropped.
There it was again.
That feeling.
Like something bad was about to happen.
Daniel looked at me, really looked at me this time.
And suddenly, I couldn't breathe properly.
"Amara," he started, his voice low, careful. "What are we doing?"
I froze.
"What do you mean?"
His jaw tightened slightly. "Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Pretend like you don't feel it."
My heart skipped.
No.
No, no, no.
"We're friends, Daniel," I said quickly, my voice coming out more defensive than I intended. "That's what we've always been."
He stared at me for a long moment.
Then he shook his head.
"That's not true anymore."
The words hit me like a slap.
I felt my chest tighten, panic rising quickly.
"Of course it is," I insisted. "You're my best friend."
"Amara."
The way he said my name this time... it wasn't soft.
It wasn't gentle.
It was frustrated.
Almost... hurt.
"You look at me like you're about to say something you shouldn't," he said quietly. "And then you stop yourself."
My throat went dry.
"You get jealous when I'm with other girls," he continued. "You go quiet when I mention them."
I opened my mouth to deny it-but nothing came out.
Because he wasn't wrong.
"And yesterday..." he added, his voice dropping slightly, "you couldn't even focus because I was there."
Silence.
Heavy, undeniable silence.
My heart was racing now.
There was no escaping this.
Not anymore.
Daniel leaned back slightly, his eyes still locked on mine.
"I've been trying to ignore it," he admitted. "Trying to pretend like it's nothing."
His expression hardened slightly.
"But I can't do that anymore."
My hands tightened under the table.
"Do what?" I whispered.
He held my gaze.
And for a second, everything felt like it stopped.
"I can't keep acting like I don't love you."
My world tilted.
Everything inside me went completely still.
No sound.
No thoughts.
Just those words... echoing over and over again.
I don't love you...
No.
That wasn't what he said.
"I can't keep acting like I don't love you."
My heart slammed hard against my chest.
This was real.
This was happening.
And I didn't know what to do.