A Pause

At the last minute, I hesitated, cold feet creeping in as doubts flooded my mind. Was using him as a distraction really a good idea? But before I could think of an escape, my phone rang, and Luca’s name flashed across the screen. With a shaky firmness, I answered and agreed to meet him by the campus in ten minutes.

As I hung up, nerves fluttered in my stomach. What had I gotten myself into? But I had said yes, and now there was no turning back.

With a deep breath, I pushed open the door and stepped outside into the crisp afternoon air. The cool breeze offered little comfort as I made my way toward our meeting spot.

Conversation flowed around me, students laughing and chatting as they made their way home. But my mind was elsewhere, consumed by thoughts of distraction and rebellion against my own heartache.

With each step, my resolve wavered, but I pushed on, determined to prove to myself that I could do better, that I wasn’t going to wallow in self-pity over a guy who had left me behin