MasukMia's POVI didn’t talk to Alan again after that night in my room. He called. He texted. He even sent Zara messages asking if I was okay. But I ignored everything.At first, it was hard. I kept replaying his words in my head, the way he dismissed me, the way he made me feel crazy for being hurt.But as the days passed, ignoring him got easier.Nikolas, on the other hand, became a quiet constant in my life.He was the opposite of Alan. He didn’t pressure me. He didn’t demand anything. He simply checked in, asked about my exams, brought me snacks during study sessions, and made me laugh when I needed it most.Slowly, without even realizing it, I began to feel better and even stronger.Like I was finally standing on my own feet instead of leaning on someone who didn’t care if I fell.By the time exams officially started, I felt like a different person. I was more settled and certain. And most importantly, I knew I didn’t want Alan anymore.It was a Thursday afternoon when everything fina
Mia's POVAfter our picnic date came to an end, Nikolas couldn't take his eyes off me. On our drive back home, Nikolas kept glancing at me with that soft smile of his, replaying little moments from the picnic, teasing me about how many cupcakes I’d eaten and how I pretended not to enjoy them.I laughed along, but somewhere at the back of my mind, there was a quiet nervousness I couldn’t explain. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was fear. Or maybe it was just the strange feeling of knowing that my life was slowly changing and I wasn’t fully in control of it anymore.When he finally pulled up in front of my house, the sky was already dark, and the streetlights were on.“You're home now. All safe and sound,” Nikolas said, turning off the engine.“Thank you for today,” I replied. “I really had fun.”“I’m glad.”He came around to my side of the car and opened the door for me. I stepped out, still smiling. Then everything inside me froze.Standing right by my front entrance, leaning against the
Mia's POVIt took me a while, I won't deny that, it did. But after the tears, and the endless hours of staring at my phone waiting for calls that never came, something in me simply switched off. I stopped checking. I stopped wondering. I stopped caring. Life quietly went on, and I decided to go on with it.A few days after the whole mess, I swallowed my pride and apologized to Zara.We were sitting at the kitchen counter, both pretending to study but really just flipping through our phones, when I finally spoke.“Zara… I’m sorry,” I said softly.She looked up, surprised. “For what?”“For snapping at you. For yelling at you in front of Nikolas. For acting like a crazy person.”She waved it off. “Girl, you were hurting. I get it. And you were right. I didn't have any right to air your business out like that in front of that man.”“Still,” I insisted, “you didn’t deserve that.”She smiled. “Apology accepted. And I also hope you can forgive me for what I did?”"Of course, babe."After tha
Mia's POVI turned on Zara.“You know what, Zara... why would you say that?” I snapped, pushing myself up from the chair. My legs felt shaky, but the anger rushing through me kept me steady. “Why would you tell him that?”Zara folded her arms defensively. “Because it’s the truth, Mia.”“That doesn’t mean you announce it to strangers!” I shot back.Nikolas stood awkwardly between us, his eyes moving from me to Zara and back again, clearly realizing he had walked into something far messier than he expected.“He’s not a stranger, Mia,” Zara argued. “And I think by now, you'll see he cares about you.”“You don’t know that!” I said sharply. “You don’t even know him.”“Well, I know he's not the person who made you cry!” she fired back.“That’s not the point,” I snapped. “This is my business, not his.”Nikolas raised a hand gently. “Hey… maybe I should—”“No,” I interrupted, glaring at Zara. “She needs to explain why she thought it was okay to expose my private life like that.”Zara rolled h
Mia's POVBy the time Alan finally called, my chest hurt in that deep, aching way that came from crying too much and thinking too hard. My eyes were already swollen, my head throbbing, my body exhausted from carrying emotions that were too heavy for one night and one morning. Zara was still beside me, her arm around my shoulders, murmuring soft reassurances that I barely heard.Then my phone rang. I looked over at it and finally... Alan.My breath hitched so sharply it hurt. For a split second, hope flared. I was foolish and desperate. I pulled away from Zara and answered before the phone could ring a second time.“Alan,” I said, my voice already trembling. “Where have you been?”There was a pause on the other end."Alan?" I said louder now. "Why are you answering? Where have you been all these while?"“Why are you shouting?” he asked calmly, almost lazily, like I was interrupting something unimportant.“I’m not shouting, but I'm sorry if I'm too loud,” I apologized."It's cool."“So,
Mia's POVWhen we finally arrived at the house, the silence between Zara and me was heavy. I parked the car, turned off the engine, and just sat there for a moment, staring straight ahead, but I couldn't see anything in front of me because my head was still wrapped in what I saw at the cafe.“Mia,” Zara said gently, unbuckling her seatbelt. “You good, babe? Talk to me.”“I’m fine,” I replied immediately, too quickly, my voice flat. “Really. Don't worry about me.”She frowned, clearly not convinced, but followed me out of the car anyway. Inside the house, Zara hovered behind me like she was afraid I’d run mad if she looked away for even a second.“Mia,” she tried again as I dropped my bag on the couch. “You don’t have to shut down like this because of him. I hope you know that. I think maybe you’re overthinking it.”I didn’t respond. I reached for my phone instead, my fingers already moving on their own, dialing a number I knew by heart.Zara watched me. “What are you doing?”“I’m call







