𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 ★ 𝘮. 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐈

𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵...

"Just let it go and go to sleep." Stella said, and then stood up to probably do the same. I sighed once again, and then I went to sleep.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

three days later

"And then she just strormed off." I shoved a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth. "She hasn't talked to you since then?" Matt turned on the bench to face me. It's Sunday, three days after we met. We've been messaging non-stop, and today we finally met up. "No. She's been giving me the cold shlouder. It isn't even that that bothers me the most about the sistuation, it's the fact that Ella is unintentionally making Stella choose between us" I sighed and looked at the river. We were sitting near it, having an afternoon dessert. "Hey, why don't you come to my house next week? We're having a family dinner. You could meet them too. As a friend of course" Matt was starting to babble, so I decided to save him. "Sure, I'd really like to. It's not like Ella has decided to bless us with her cooking skills since the last time we ate toghter" I chuckled, knowing that was three days ago.

Matt was really sweet. I felt like I could tell him everything. I know it's crazy considering I literally met him three days ago. But I think we have a connection. I don't want to sound like a pick me girl, but he really makes me feel seen, in some way?

I've experienced love before, but in a way that always edned so suddenly, it always left me spiraling in a void with no way out. My mom always joked that I loved too strongly and too soon. I once was the other woman. I lived for the thrill of clandestine meethings and stolen stares. I thought that if I was good enough, he'll leave his wife and kids and marry me. He didn't. I was young and stupid. I didn't know anything at the ripe age of seventeen. I fell in love with an older man, chasing the idea of a stable life, with someone who made me feel understood, safe, and I ended up pulling his whole family under the ground. I sometimes wonder if he deserved it. If he deserved it, for all the times he hurt me, made me feel bad about myself. For every tear I shed because of him. Maybe he did deserve it. Maybe karma caught up with him too soon.

"Syd?" I felt someone touch my shoulder. "Hmm?" I looked back at Matt, snapping out of my thought. "Are you okay?" he asked softly. "Yeah, mhm. Just got lost in thought." the boy looked over at me, and I felt like he was studying my face. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, I blushed. It felt like he was staring into my soul. The feeling was too intimate for me to deal with, so I tell him "I should go back to campus, it's late" I start to stand. Matt stands up with me "Yeah, okay, let me walk you" and we start going back to the Harvard dorms. I am a first year psychology major, and I am very lucky that I got a full ride, considering that my parents wouldn't be able to afford it even in a million years.

The walk back is really nice. I look away when I hear a camera click. Did he just take a picture of me? I hope I look good in it. I wouldn't say that I'm the prettiest person on earth, but not the ugliest, either. I flipped my hair to the other side and got lost in conversation again.

∿

"I'm home!" I shouted, hoping that Ella got tired of the cold shoulder. I was walking trough the hallwaywhen I smelled something amazing. My first thought was; has Ella discovered a new take out place? But then I turned around the corner and I saw the sight for sore eyes. Ella standing in the kitchen, wearing an apron and cooking. In that moment I genuienly thought that this was a dream. 'If This Was A Movie' by Taylor Swift was playing through the speaker and Ella was so caught up in the music, dancing and humming to herself, she didn't even hear me come home.

I felt a warm feeling in my chest. She was happy. I hoped so. I stood there for good five minutes, just watching her, almost shedding a tear. After so much I pulled her through, I loved seeing her happy.

"Oh, hi." Ella finally turned around and looked at me. "What are you cooking?" I finally got out of myself. "Oh, just some bolognese lasagna." I felt my stomach empty at the words. "Is it ready? I'm so hungry." Ella looked at me like I just said that I want her first born child. "Umm, no?" she said, "Do you see Stella here yet?" Ella finished. I looked around and realised that Stella was nowhere to be found. "She's taking a shower,by the way." I then heard the shower stop.

I must've jumped out of excitement, because Ella was looking at me once again like I asked for her second born child too. "What? I have the right to be excited! You, Elena Merie, the queen of the kitchen, are cooking after a literally year and you don't expect me to be excited?" I almost burst out of tears. I know you must think that I'm being dramatic, but I'm genuinely so overjoyed that Ella seems happy. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Ella really deserves clousure.

∿

MESSAGES

matthew

guess what

hmm

you got a dog?

ella cooked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

really?

that's amazing!

what did she cook tho 🤨

a lasagna

it was HEAVENLY

listen

when is the dinner next week?

oh about that

tuesday, like 6 pm?

i'll pick you up

okay thankss

:)

The sky even might turn back to blue soon. Ella seems happy. After the dinner, I think Stella might be too. I know that a year is not much to cope with the stuff that we've been trough, but everyone is different. Happiness comes and goes. We shall make the most of it while we do have it.

AN

hi! thank you so much for reading this chapter! i'm really sorry that i was absent from updating for a while, so please accept this longer chapter as my apology. this was a ALOT longer chapter than before, but i'll start making them this long or longer from now on. also i promise that the romance will start unfolding shortly. but who knows what will unfold with it 🤫🤫 see you next week! (also, let's not be silent readers☺️)

-Elle