VENUS - Theodore Nott

part 20

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Matteo and Mae were sitting at a secluded table in the back of the library, surrounded by towering bookshelves and surrounded by students quietly studying.

Mae was flipping through a textbook, her mind focused on the academic material in front of her.

Matteo noticed her distracted expression and decided to seize the opportunity to talk to her.

"Hey, Mae," he said, keeping his voice low. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Mae looked up from her textbook, a puzzled expression on her face. "Yeah, sure," she said, closing the book and giving Matteo her full attention. "What's up?"

Matteo leaned forward, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "Can I ask you something personal?" he asked, his eyes flickering around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

Mae raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Matteo's secretive tone.

"Sure, go ahead," she said quietly. "What's on your mind?"

Matteo took a deep breath, preparing to broach the sensitive topic.

"I was wondering how things are going with Dylan," he said, watching Mae's expression carefully.

"You two have been together for a while now, right?"

Mae shrugged, her expression neutral.

"Yeah, we've been together for about a month now," she replied. "It's going fine, I guess."

Matteo raised an eyebrow at Mae's lukewarm response.

"Just fine?" he repeated, trying to hide his skepticism. "No excitement, no butterflies?"

Mae's expression shifted, and she looked away, avoiding Matteo's gaze.

"I don't know," she said quietly.

"It's just... different, I guess. I thought I would feel more excited, and more passionate, but it's just kind of... flat. Dylan is nice, but something is missing."

Matteo nodded, seeing the confusion and disappointment on Mae's face.

"Have you talked to Dylan about how you feel?" he asked gently.

Mae shook her head. "No, not really," she admitted.

"I don't want to hurt his feelings, you know? He's been so sweet and treats me well, but I can't help feeling like something is missing."

Matteo leaned back in his chair, considering his words carefully.

"Have you ever thought that maybe you're settling for Dylan because it's easy, not because it's what you want?" he asked gently.

Mae looked at him. Of course, he wasn't who Mae wanted. She planned to make Theo jealous all along.

"Huh, I never thought about it like that," she lied her way out.

"I guess it's true that being with Dylan is easy, he's always there for me and he never gives me a hard time."

Matteo nodded, sensing that he was getting through to Mae.

"But maybe easy isn't what you need," he suggested.

"Maybe you need someone who challenges you, who makes you feel something more than just 'fine', you know?"

Mae's expression turned more reflective as she thought about Matteo's words.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said quietly. "Dylan and I don't have any deep conversations, we just kind of go through the motions."