Ben never thought a girl like Lizzy would catch his eye.
She was quiet, always in the background, the kind of person most people overlooked. But not him. There was something about her that calmed the noise in his head like a soft song he didn't know the lyrics to yet.
But instead of walking up to her, he did the cowardly thing.
He became friends with Funmi.
Funmi was loud where Lizzy was soft, bright where Lizzy was calm. She was the kind of girl you couldn't help but notice. And Ben used that. He talked to her in class, laughed at her jokes, even walked her back to her hostel a few times all in hopes of one day getting close enough to Lizzy.
It wasn't that he didn't like Funmi. She was kind. Real. But he didn't like her that way.
Still, when Funmi invited him to hang out with Lizzy, he acted surprised. Played it cool. Inside, his heart raced. He couldn't believe it was finally happening.
The first time he really spoke to Lizzy, it was about a book she was reading under a tree. She looked up, her eyes searching his like she was trying to decide whether to let him in. Her voice was softer than he expected, her smile almost shy.
Ben felt like a child again, fumbling over words, trying not to mess it up.
After that, they crossed paths more often group hangouts, study sessions. But she still felt distant, like she was keeping part of herself hidden. Something about her silence didn't feel empty. It felt full. Like she was carrying a weight no one else could see.
One afternoon, while Lizzy was sketching flowers in her notebook, Ben asked her why she loved plants so much.
She looked at him for a long moment before saying, "Because they grow, even after being stepped on."
It hit him like a wave.
He didn't know her story, but he wanted to.
The guilt began to creep in. Every time Funmi smiled at him like they shared something special, he felt it twist in his chest. She didn't know he was only in her orbit to reach someone else.
And now? He wasn't sure who he was hurting more Lizzy, Funmi, or himself.