Nearly a week had passed since that bus ride. Since Jason had blurted out a confession he hadn't entirely planned. Since Bella had said nothing in return. Since the silence had settled between them like a fog neither of them knew how to clear.
In the days that followed, Jason had done everything possible to stay out of her path. He skipped his usual lunch spot near the courts, avoided the hallway near her locker and started taking longer, more inconvenient routes between classes. He even stayed behind in the gym under the pretense of extra drills just to make sure they didn't accidentally cross paths.
But today, he couldn't avoid her. Not with tennis practice marked mandatory on the team calendar and Coach already irritated with last week's absences. Everyone was expected to show up, no excuses.
Jason lingered just outside the gate of the tennis courts, gripping his racket like a lifeline. His fingers tightened and loosened around the handle in a restless rhythm. His heart thudded in his chest, loud and uneven, drowning out the rhythmic bounce of tennis balls across the court.
Bella was already there. She stood near the net, warming up with slow, practiced swings. Her stance was composed, movements smooth and deliberate, but Jason noticed something missing, a spark that used to be there.
When she glanced his way, their eyes met for only a second before she quickly turned away. There was no glare, no cold shoulder, just uncertainty. Like she didn't know whether to say something or keep things as distant as he had.
He took a slow breath, his nerves crawling just under his skin. Then he stepped forward onto the court.
"Hey," he said, barely above a whisper.
Bella nodded. She didn't smile. She didn't frown either. Just a quiet acknowledgment that left the air between them thick with everything unspoken.
Jason fussed with the strings of his racket, avoiding her eyes. "You ready to start?"
There was a pause and then Bella gave a second nod, a small movement that seemed more hesitant than the first.
They began to rally. The familiar rhythm of the game offered something to cling to, but it wasn't quite the same. Their timing was off. Jason missed shots he would normally return in his sleep. Bella's movements were precise but they lacked their usual intensity.
The silence stretched on, more distracting than the squeak of sneakers or the echo of the ball against the court.
After a few more exchanges, Bella was the one to break it.
"Jason…" Her voice was quiet, but steady.
He glanced up.
"I know things have been... off," she said, her gaze focused somewhere just past him. "I didn't mean to leave you hanging. I was just... surprised. I didn't see it coming."
Jason nodded slowly, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little.
"I get it," he replied, finally meeting her eyes. "I shouldn't have dropped it on you like that. I wasn't thinking."
Bella shifted her weight from one foot to the other, lightly tapping the frame of her racket against her thigh. The tennis court around them felt calm, filled only with the soft murmur of voices in the distance and the occasional sharp sound of a ball hitting a racket from the neighbouring court.
After a brief pause, she finally spoke. "I wasn't avoiding you on purpose," she said. "I just needed some time to think. Things have been moving so fast lately and honestly, it caught me off guard."
Jason nodded slowly, his grip tightening on the handle of his racket. "Yeah, I figured as much. I wasn't sure if I'd messed things up between us."
"You did," Bella admitted gently. "But not because you did something wrong. It was more that I didn't know how to respond."
Jason exhaled softly, a breath somewhere between a laugh and a sigh. "Fair enough," he said.
Bella met his gaze, her expression gentle but firm. "Jason, I'm really glad you told me how you feel." She paused, searching for the right words. "But honestly, I'm not sure if I'm even ready for a relationship right now."
Jason looked down for a moment, then back up at her, waiting.
"This semester, this whole new university, this new club... It's a lot." she continued. "New school, new people, figuring out who I am outside of everything I knew before. I want to focus on that first, without adding anything complicated on top."
She gave a small, sincere smile. "I hope you understand."
Jason nodded slowly, a mixture of disappointment and respect in his eyes. "Yeah, I get it. You've got a lot going on."
Bella's smile softened. "Thanks for being so understanding. And I really value our friendship. It means a lot to me."
He returned the smile, though inside he felt the weight of what was lost. "Same here. Friends."
But beneath her words, Bella sensed Jason's doubt. Bella could tell from her own clumsy admission that Jason didn't believe her reply. She also knew that they can never get back to their old easy banter nor share any bus trips home. A quiet regret settled in her chest for the friendship she had just begun to cherish, now caught in the aftermath of unspoken feelings.
Regret started settling in Jason's chest. He wished he hadn't blurted it out so suddenly, wished he'd been more patient. Embarrassment burned in his cheeks as he realised how vulnerable he'd made himself. The regret settled deep inside him as he felt the full impact of his actions. He knew he'd lost the easy access he once had to Bella's world. In that moment, sensing her discomfort, he felt himself pushed back into the role of a stranger once again.