Se connecterThey stayed longer than either of them expected.Not because it got easier.But because neither of them walked away.Cami traced the rim of her cup again, quieter now, like the sharpest part of what she needed to say had already come out.Ariana didnât rush her.Didnât try to fill the silence this time.She just stayed.âThatâs new,â Cami said suddenly.Ariana looked up.âWhat is?ââYou not trying to fix the silence.âAriana let out a small breath.âI think Iâve done enough damage trying to control things.âCami studied her for a second.Then looked away again.âYeah,â she said. âYou have.âIt wasnât said to hurt her.Just to keep things honest.Ariana nodded slightly, accepting it.Another pause settled between them, softer now.Not as sharp.Cami leaned back in her chair, her gaze drifting toward the window again.âDid you ever think about how this would affect me?â she asked.Ariana d
For a moment, neither of them spoke.The noise of the cafĂ© filled the space between them, but it didnât touch what was sitting at the table.Cami looked down at her hands, then back up at Ariana.âYou know what the worst part is?â she asked.Ariana didnât answer.She knew this wasnât a question that needed one.Camiâs fingers tightened slightly around her cup.âItâs not even that youâre with him.âA pause.âItâs that you let me be around you while it was happening.âThat landed differently.Sharper.More personal.Ariana felt her chest tighten.âI didnât plan it,â she said quietly.Cami let out a short laugh.âThat doesnât make it better.ââI know.ââNo, I donât think you do,â Cami replied, her voice still controlled but heavier now. âBecause you werenât the one sitting there, talking to someone, trusting them, while they were hiding something like that from you.âArianaâs gaze dropped for a second.Not avoiding.Just⊠taking it in.âI wouldâve told you,â she said.Cami shook her head
Cami didnât overthink it this time.That was new.Usually, she wouldâve waited. Let the feeling settle, sharpen, turn into something precise before acting on it.But she was tired of being the one who adjusted after everything had already happened.So she picked up her phone and called.Ariana answered almost immediately.âCami?âThere was something in her voiceâsurprise, relief, tension all mixed together.âWeâre not doing this over text,â Cami said.Direct. No buildup.A small pause on the other end.âOkay,â Ariana replied. âWhere?âCami glanced around her room like the answer might be there.âTomorrow. Lunch. That cafĂ© near the park.ââI know it.âAnother pause.âCamiââBut she cut her off.âDonât say anything now.âHer tone wasnât harsh.Just controlled.âIâd rather you say it to my face.âA beat.ââŠokay,â Ariana said quietly.The line went dead.Cami lowered her phone slowly.Her heart was beating faster now.Not from nerves.From anticipation.Because this timeâshe wasnât going
Ariana noticed the shift before it was said out loud.It wasnât dramatic.It wasnât obvious.It was in the way Mateo looked at his phone a little longer than usual, then put it down without saying anything.In the way he stayed quiet after dinner, not distant, just⊠thinking.She waited a while before asking.âWhat happened?âHe looked at her from across the table.Nothing defensive.Nothing hidden.âI spoke to Cami.âThat was enough to tighten something in her chest.Not fear.Not jealousy.Something more complicated.âOkay,â she said carefully. âAnd?âMateo leaned back slightly in his chair.âSheâs angry.âAriana nodded slowly.âThat makes sense.âSilence followed.Because neither of them tried to soften it.Ariana traced the edge of her glass with her finger, watching it for a second.âWhat kind of angry?â she asked.Mateo didnât rush.âThe kind that hasnât finished yet.âThat landed heavier than she expected.Ariana looked down for a moment.âI didnât want to hurt her,â she said q
Cami didnât sleep.She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, the faint glow of the city slipping through the curtains and stretching across her room.Her phone was still on the bed beside her.Screen dark now.But she knew exactly what was on it.You already did.She had meant it.That was the problem.She turned onto her side, pulling the pillow closer, her fingers gripping the fabric without realizing it.For daysâweeksâshe had been fine.Not pretending.Not forcing it.Just⊠fine.Everything had settled into something manageable. Predictable. Controlled.No surprises.No emotional spikes.No moments that caught her off guard.And then one messageâand suddenly she couldnât shut her mind off.She sat up abruptly, pushing the covers away, frustration building in her chest.âWhy now?â she muttered under her breath.It wasnât even anger.That would have been easier.It was something heavier.Something that didnât explodeâjust stayed.She got up, pacing her room, running a hand thro
Cami didnât plan to go home that early.But something about the night lost its pull halfway through.The music felt louder than usual. Conversations blurred together. Diego was saying something beside her, but she wasnât really listening.She picked up her drink, stared at it for a second, then set it back down untouched.âIâm leaving,â she said.Diego paused. âAlready?ââYeah.âHe studied her face like he was trying to figure out if something had happened.âWant me to come with you?âCami shook her head.âNo.âA small pause.âI just want to be alone.âHe didnât push.âText me when you get back.âShe didnât answer that. Just gave a small nod and walked out.The night air hit her differently this time.Cooler.Quieter.She wrapped her arms loosely around herself as she walked, heels clicking softly against the pavement.For once, she wasnât rushing.She didnât feel like she was escaping anything.But she wasnât staying either.When she got home, she didnât turn on the lights right away
The hospital felt heavier the next morning.Not louder.Not busier.Heavier.Like the air itself carried scrutiny.Ariana felt it the moment she stepped through the sliding glass doors of Hospital del Sol. The polished floors reflected the white lights above, sterile and unforgiving. Every footstep
Madrid woke up under a pale silver sky.The kind of morning that felt undecided â not quite cold enough to frost the pavement, not warm enough to be kind. A thin mist clung to the streets, curling around lampposts and drifting lazily above parked cars. The city wasnât loud yet. It stretched slowly,
The corridor slowly resumed its rhythm. Monitors beeped. A stretcher rolled past. SofĂa shot her a quick, curious glance before pretending very hard not to look curious at all.Ariana inhaled.Exhaled.Return to work.She forced her feet to move.The rest of the shift passed in fragments.She adjus
The morning sunlight crept through the thin curtains of Arianaâs apartment, brushing her cheek with a warmth that felt almost foreign after so many restless nights. She stirred under the covers, stretching her arms above her head, the faint ache in her muscles a reminder of yesterdayâs long shift a







