Bruised Hearts, Reckless Choices
Steph felt the weight of it all pressing down on her, the unspoken truths, the aching confusion, the tightrope she was walking between the two boys who had shaped her world.
She hadn't seen Hassan in three days.
He hadn't returned her texts. Hadn't come to the restaurant. She told herself she didn't care, but every time she passed the booth they used to clean together, or saw his apron still hanging behind the door, her stomach sank.
He had pulled away.
And worse, he had left without a word.
She felt abandoned. Again.
That night, Noah came by the restaurant after close, asking if she wanted to take a walk like they used to. It felt familiar. Safe. And Steph was tired of being unsure.
They ended up at the park where they'd spent so many childhood evenings talking, teasing, dreaming. Now the air between them was heavier, like both of them were holding memories too fragile to touch.
"You okay?" Noah asked, brushing his fingers against hers as they sat on the swings.
Steph shrugged. "I don't know."
He looked at her for a long time. "Is this about Hassan?"
She flinched. "Why would you say that?"
"I'm not blind, Steph. You two there's something there. There has been for a while."
Steph looked down at her shoes, suddenly ashamed. "He left. Just like that."
Noah's voice dropped. "Maybe he's trying to protect himself."
She looked up, her eyes glassy. "What about me? Who protects me?"
And then she did something she hadn't planned.
She leaned in slowly, impulsively and kissed him.
It wasn't like their old kisses from when they were younger. This one was messier, harder. A kiss born of hurt and need, not affection.
Noah pulled back slightly, confused. "Steph"
But she didn't stop. She pressed closer, wrapping her arms around him like she could erase every unanswered question with her touch.
"I just I don't want to think," she whispered. "Please."
Noah hesitated, breathing hard, his eyes searching hers.
And then he gave in.
They ended up in the backseat of his dad's old car, parked near the edge of the park, tangled in each other's arms. Clothes half-on, skin against skin, but it wasn't passion that filled the space between them, it was confusion, desperation, and the aching need to feel something.
But just as things escalated just as Noah moved to take her face in his hands, whispering her name Steph's breath caught.
She blinked, her chest tightening.
In that moment, all she could see was Hassan's face.
The look in his eyes that night in the kitchen.
The quiet kindness. The sadness. The fire.
"No," she whispered, pushing Noah's hands away. "I can't. I'm sorry."
Noah pulled back immediately, his brows furrowed. "Steph ?"
She sat up, pulling her shirt down, her hands trembling. "I thought I could, but it's not right. It's not fair to you."
Noah nodded slowly, hurt flashing across his face. "It's him, isn't it?"
Steph looked away. "I don't know what it is. I just know I'm broken right now. And I don't want to break you too."
Noah didn't speak for a moment. Then, softly, he said, "I still love you, Steph. Even now."
Tears filled her eyes. "I'm sorry, Noah."
She walked home alone, the night air biting her skin, her heart even more tangled than before.
She had tried to bury her feelings, to forget Hassan, to prove to herself she had control.
But all she had done was hurt someone she cared about and prove that the person she was running from held more of her heart than she wanted to admit.