I've officially decided something.
I hate being right.
—
Ren is worse today.
Not dramatic-worse. Not "I'm going to cry into the ocean" worse.
Just… distracted.
Which, for him, is basically the same thing.
He's sitting on the pier again—shocking, I know—staring at his phone like it's about to confess something.
It's not.
Phones don't do that.
People do.
And he's definitely not doing that.
—
"You're waiting for her to text first," I say.
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Mio sighs. "You both sound like children."
"Correction," I say. "He sounds like a child. I sound like a concerned intellectual."
Ren throws a look at me. "There's nothing intellectual about you."
"Rude. And false."
—
His phone lights up.
We all see it.
Yes, we. This is a group experience now.
Yuna: Busy today. Talk later?
Ren freezes for half a second.
Just half.
But I catch it.
He types back quickly this time.
Too quickly.
Ren: Yeah. Good luck.
And that's it.
That's all he sends.
I stare at him.
"That's what you went with?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"Everything."
Mio glances at me. "It's not everything."
"It's emotionally underwhelming," I correct.
—
He puts his phone down.
Face neutral.
Too neutral.
That's how you know something's off.
—
"Say more," I tell him.
"No."
"Why?"
"Because she said she's busy."
"And?"
"And I'm not going to bother her."
I stare at him like he just said something illegal.
"That's not bothering. That's… communication."
Mio nods slightly. "You can still show you care without overwhelming her."
Ren doesn't answer.
Of course he doesn't.
—
I kick my foot lightly against the wood.
"You know what your problem is?"
"I don't have one."
"You do," I say. "You act like if you say too much, she'll disappear."
He goes quiet.
Which means I hit something.
—
Across the distance, Yuna's probably actually busy.
School.
New people.
That friend—Hana.
Yeah, I remember.
She's adjusting.
Growing.
Doing exactly what she should be doing.
—
But here?
Ren's standing still.
And standing still doesn't win you anything.
—
Mio speaks softly. "You trust her, right?"
"Yes."
"Then trust what you have with her too."
He exhales slowly.
"I do."
But it sounds like he's trying to convince himself.
—
The sun's already starting to dip.
Time moves whether you like it or not.
That's summer for you.
—
"You know what this is?" I say.
"No," Ren replies.
"This is third-wheel energy."
He looks at me. "What?"
"You, me, and Mio… we're here."
"And?"
"And she's there," I point vaguely into the distance. "And somehow, you're still in the middle of something with her."
"That doesn't make sense."
"It does in my head," I say. "Which is where all great ideas live."
Mio laughs quietly.
—
Ren checks his phone again.
No new message.
Of course not.
It's been like… three minutes.
—
Summertimes are coming.
And if this keeps up—
Yeah.
I'm going to be stuck watching the slowest emotional confession in history.
From the front row.
—
Unpaid.
Which is honestly the worst part.