Chapter 6 — The Distance Between Us

HAZEL

“I don’t need space from competition — I need space from the lies.”

I said it out loud to the empty room, the words feeling heavy and final.

After walking out of Danny’s apartment two nights before, I hadn’t gone back.

I hadn’t called, hadn’t texted, hadn’t even looked down his street.

I was too raw — too shaken by the things I’d heard him say, too tangled up in the dream that still felt like it had happened while I was awake.

Every time I closed my eyes, I heard his voice on the phone.

Every time I breathed deep, I felt that phantom warmth of Miles in my dream.

I couldn’t untangle any of it. So instead, I threw everything I had into practice.

But even here, in the studio that had always felt like my safest place, I couldn’t focus.

My feet knew the steps, but my mind was somewhere else.

I stumbled on turns, my arms felt heavy, and Ms. Bennett finally stopped the music with a soft sigh.

“Go home, Hazel,” she said gently. “You’re here, but you’re not here. Rest. Clear your head.”

I nodded, grabbed my bag, and wandered to the little café down the street — the one Danny and I used to come to all the time.

I sat at our usual table by the window, but I didn’t feel like I belonged there anymore. My phone buzzed against the wood — again, and again, and again.

Texts, missed calls, voice messages. All from him.

I hesitated for a long time, then finally pressed the call button and lifted it to my ear.

“Finally!” Danny’s voice burst out, sharp and frantic.

“Where have you been? Why won’t you answer me? You can’t just disappear like this!”

“I haven’t disappeared,” I said quietly. “I just… I need time. To think.”

“Think about what?” He laughed, short and bitter.

“About what Miles told you? That’s it, isn’t it? He’s been filling your head with garbage, turning you against me. He’s always wanted what I have — everyone knows that. Now he’s back, and he saw his chance.”

I blinked, surprised. “Miles hasn’t told me anything. Not like that. He hasn’t asked me for anything.”

“Please,” Danny scoffed.

“You think I don’t know how he works? He’s always been the quiet one, the one who acts so innocent while he waits in the background. He’s lying to you, Hazel. He’s making me look bad so you’ll run straight to him. You’re throwing away three years — everything we grew up with — for someone who left and never even looked back!”

My chest tightened. “Stop it. Just stop bringing Miles into this. This isn’t about him. This is about us. It’s about what you said. What you hid from me.”

“What I said was nothing!” he snapped.

“And you’re letting him twist it all around. You think he cares about you? He cares about winning. He cares about getting the one thing he never could. Don’t be stupid enough to fall for it.”

“I’m not falling for anything!” I said, my voice rising.

“I’m just… I’m confused. I need to figure out what’s real and what’s not. And I can’t do that while you’re yelling at me and making me feel crazy for noticing things.”

“Because you are confused!” he insisted.

“You’re stressed, you’re tired, and he’s taking advantage of it. Just come over. Let’s talk face‑to‑face. Don’t let him drive a wedge between us.”

“I need space, Danny,” I repeated, firm this time. “Just space. Please.”

I hung up before he could argue more, and set the phone face down on the table.

My hands were shaking. Miles hadn’t pushed me. He hadn’t twisted anything.

He’d only said what was true, and then stepped back.

He hadn’t asked me to choose. He hadn’t asked me to leave Danny.

So why was Danny so terrified of him?

Why was he so sure Miles was the problem, when Miles hadn’t even tried to be?

A soft cup appeared on the table in front of me — warm vanilla latte, exactly the way I liked it.

I looked up, startled.

Miles stood there, his hands in his jacket pockets, his expression calm and careful.

He didn’t sit down. He didn’t lean in. He just gave me a small, quiet nod.

“I saw you through the window,” he said softly.

“You looked like you needed something warm. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

I stared at the drink, then at him. “Thank you. But… how did you know what I drink?”

“Old habit,” he said simply.

“You used to order the same thing every time after recitals. I remembered.”

He didn’t ask what was wrong. He didn’t ask about Danny.

He didn’t try to comfort me with words I didn’t want to hear.

He just stood there, giving me all the space I needed.

“Take all the time you need,” he said gently.

“I’m around if you need someone to listen. No agenda. No expectations. Just… if you need.”

Before I could even find the words to reply, he turned and walked out, leaving me alone with the steam curling up from the cup.

I watched him go through the glass, his steady stride carrying him down the sidewalk.

And that was exactly what made me wonder: Why is Danny so scared of him?

I picked up the cup, holding it between my cold hands. The warmth seeped into my palms, but my mind was still spinning.

Danny had acted like Miles was some kind of threat, like he was plotting something — but Miles had done nothing but be kind.

Nothing but be honest.

My phone buzzed again — one last message from Danny, still waiting on the screen.

I read the words, and they echoed sharp and loud in my head:

She hung up on Danny — but his last words kept ringing: “You’ll regret trusting the brother who never even tried.”