They both go silent.
I run a hand through my hair, staring at the half-formed table. “It’s fine. It’s just…I don't know. She's just… quieter. Distant.”
Freddie finally looks at me. “So talk to her.”
“I've tried.”
“For fuck's sake, then try again,” Freddie says, handing me a bolt.
“And if you’re gonna do it, don't be a coward about it, bro,” Ethan adds. If he wasn't still heartbroken I'd hit him, but I know he's hurting inside. Besides, he's right. I do need to try again.
I find her later that night in an architecture study room. It only took me 20 minutes of searching every room in this building to find her. The lights are low, her laptop is glowing and a dozen half-finished sketches spread out around her like petals.
She doesn't look up when I enter but I know she notices I'm there. I pull out the chair across from her and sit down without asking.
She glances at me once. “Hey.”
“You left your charger at the house,” I lie, pulling mine from my bag and sliding it toward her.
She blinks, then plugs it in without a word.
I clear my throat. “You've been working late a lot.”
She nods. “Lot to do.”
I tap my fingers against the desk. “Wanna take a break? Grab a late-night coffee or something?”
“I'm good.”
She doesn't even look up.
And something in me just… cracks.
I lean back. “You always like this after big holidays, or is itjust with me? ‘Cause honestly I thought we had a blast. I…I dunno, Greer. I thought we were on the same page.”
She flinches—barely—but it's there.
“I'm just tired,” she says again. That same lie. The one she's been feeding me for a week now.
I nod slowly.
Then, casually, I say, “I've been looking at post-grad stuff. Might travel for a while. South America. Thailand. Some of the sustainability startups over there are doing cool shit.”
Do you want to come with me? I nearly say. Do you have any plans? I want you to come with me. I'll wait for you if you want me to.
She finally looks at me. Her expression unreadable. “That sounds… amazing.”
I watch her face. “Yeah?”
She swallows. “Yeah.”
Then she says, almost too casually, “Not like you'd have trouble finding company anyway.”
The words hang in the air between us. I stare at her, confused.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
She shakes her head, turning back to her laptop. “Nothing. Forget it.”
