Kyte's message appeared on my phone screen like a cold blade slowly sliding down my spine. For a few seconds, I remained still, my eyes fixed on those few words that were far too simple to be meaningless. What exactly did she want from me? That single text message was enough to disturb the fragile balance I had been trying to maintain since yesterday. Yet I could not allow myself to get lost in those thoughts now. Mia was walking ahead of me, and for the moment, she was the one I had to move forward with.
I walked behind her with my hands in my pockets, watching her light steps echo softly against the pavement. The shop windows passed by on our left, sometimes reflecting our silhouettes in the afternoon light. We were only a few steps away from the store she was leading me to with quiet determination. The air carried the smell of sun heated asphalt and the constant murmur of the street.
"We're here," she said.
She stopped in front of the display window and placed her hands on her hips like someone who had just reached a precise objective. Behind the glass, perfectly dressed mannequins seemed to observe us with silent indifference. Two customers were chatting inside, and the cashier was tapping on her phone behind the counter. Everything seemed ordinary, mundane… and yet I felt a strange tension in the air.
I did not even want to question the reason she was doing all this. Deep down, I already knew she would eventually act like this. Mia had always been the kind of person to take unpredictable initiatives, someone who imposed her will with a naturalness that was almost disarming. Trying to understand every detail would have been pointless.
For a while now, I had been trying to fight that disturbing feeling that kept returning. A vague sensation, like an invisible thread gently pulling at my mind. But every time I thought about my current situation, about everything that had happened recently, that resistance disappeared. As if my mind simply stopped defending itself.
We entered the store, and a small bell rang above the door. The cool air of the air conditioning immediately wrapped around us, contrasting with the heat outside. A saleswoman briefly glanced at us before returning to the stack of shirts she was organizing. The smell of new fabric and the faint scent of detergent lingered in the air.
"I thought you were joking just to get me to wear more decent clothes," I said.
She turned to look at me. "I told you yesterday. Think of it as an investment." She spoke those words with a smile capable of melting almost anyone. A customer passing near us even gave us an amused look, as if she found the scene endearing.
Yet that smile had only a limited effect on me. I looked at it without truly feeling what most people would have felt. Was it because Kyte used to smile in exactly the same way? Or was there something else, something I did not yet understand myself?
Mia had already grabbed a shirt from a display rack. "Try this one," she said, handing it to me without even waiting for my opinion. Behind us, a middle aged man was trying on a jacket in front of a mirror while his wife commented on every detail. The atmosphere was strangely lively, as if everyone had their own small role in this setting.
I took the shirt in silence and walked toward the fitting rooms. As I passed by, the saleswoman gave me a professional smile. "If you need another size, let me know." I simply nodded before disappearing behind the curtain of the fitting booth.
When I came out a few minutes later, Mia was waiting with her arms crossed. She observed me carefully, tilting her head slightly like a stylist examining her work.
"Turn around," Mia ordered calmly.
I obeyed, slightly amused despite myself by her seriousness. She examined the fit, adjusted the collar slightly with her fingers, then nodded with a satisfied expression. "Perfect. We'll take that one too."
Time passed faster than I would have expected. Mia selected, compared, and rejected certain pieces with impressive speed. At times she asked for the opinion of a saleswoman or a customer passing nearby, and they responded with unexpected enthusiasm.
After an hour of shopping, we were finally done. She had chosen my clothes for me, and I had given my approval without really arguing. The bags filled with clothes now rested in my hands, silent witnesses of her determination.
And I had to admit it. She had good taste.
We finally left the store, the bell ringing once more above our heads. The outside air hit us immediately, warmer and filled with the noise of the street. Passersby continued on their way without paying attention to us, each absorbed in their own day.
"Hah… what a long day that was," she said with a sigh.
She stretched her arms slightly as if trying to shake off the accumulated fatigue. A group of students walked past us laughing loudly, and a street vendor was shouting a few meters away to attract customers. The city continued to live around us with complete indifference.
"Thank you, Mia. I promise I'll make your investment worthwhile," I said in a serious tone.
She looked at me, visibly embarrassed. "No… no… actually what I meant by investment is that…" She stopped for a moment, her brows slightly furrowed. She seemed irritated by her own awkward expressions, as if her words refused to come out properly.
"Whatever, do whatever you want," she finally said.
I looked at her for a moment, almost laughing because of the expression on her face. She had remained frozen for a few seconds, her lips pressed into a displeased pout. In that awkward posture, she looked strangely adorable.
She slightly turned her face away as if to hide her embarrassment. Her hair slipped over her shoulder while she searched inside her bag.
"Take this," she said, handing me the house keys.
The metal jingled lightly when I caught them. She then adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder like someone preparing to leave quickly. For a moment, her eyes avoided mine.
"If you want to go straight home… I'm going to see someone," she said while adjusting her bag as if preparing to move away from me.
Suddenly, I felt something boiling inside me. It was neither jealousy nor a simple emotion that could be easily named. It was something more complex, almost primitive. The kind of feeling you get when you sense that a prey might escape.
That thought immediately sent a chill through me.
Was I seeing Mia as prey? If that were the case, then in what way was she one? The idea echoed in my mind like a disturbing question for which I could find no clear answer.
My mind was screaming at me not to let her leave. An insistent voice kept repeating that something important might disappear if I remained silent. Yet at the same time, my heart was whispering the exact opposite.
Of course… at that moment, I listened to my heart.
"Alright… see you at home," I said as I turned around to leave.
Mia remained there behind me, standing still, her eyes fixed on my silhouette moving away. For a few seconds, she said nothing. The noise of the street filled the silence between us.
"And I prepared some food in case you get hungry… so, um… don't hesitate to help yourself," she finally said, pretending to feel embarrassed by her own words.
I stopped for a moment, then slightly turned back toward her. The wind moved a few strands of her hair as she waited for my reaction.
And finally, I gave a smile. "Thank you."
That smile came from somewhere deeper in my heart. Yet somewhere within me, that sudden sincerity almost disgusted me. As if a part of me refused to accept such a simple emotion.
She went to see her friends while I hesitated between going to see Kyte or simply ignoring her. I stood still on the sidewalk for a moment, watching people pass in front of me without really seeing them. My phone suddenly felt much heavier in my pocket.
Even though the pain of her past betrayal had slightly faded, a small desire still remained inside me. A strange desire, almost irrational, to see her face again.
Maybe I had managed to forget her, at least partly. It was strange, because for me her betrayal had happened only yesterday. Yet despite everything, she remained a part of my past. A part of me.
A part that still made me want to see her again.
But this time… for very different reasons.
[COMPLETION RATE 15%]