Avoiding him was easier in my head than in reality.
Because Percy didn't let it stay that way.
It started with messages.
Can we talk?
Please.
Valerine, just hear me out.
I didn't reply.
I read them. Every single one.
But I didn't reply.
At work, he stopped pretending.
He came to my desk more often, lingering longer than necessary.
"Can we talk for a minute?" he asked one morning.
"I'm busy," I replied without looking up.
"You've been busy all week."
I kept typing. "Then I guess I'm still busy."
He sighed, frustrated, but he didn't leave immediately.
And for a second—just a second—I almost looked up.
Almost.
Lunch became unbearable.
Not because he wasn't there—
But because he was.
Sitting at our usual spot. Alone.
Waiting.
I noticed it every day, even when I tried not to.
And every day, I chose somewhere else.
That evening, I thought I had escaped.
I left early, walked faster, kept my head down.
But just as I turned the corner—
"Valerine."
I stopped.
Of course it was him.
"Please," he said, catching up to me. "Just give me five minutes."
I didn't turn around immediately.
Because I knew… if I saw his face, it would be harder to stay strong.
"You didn't tell me," I said quietly.
"I was going to," he replied.
I turned then.
"When, Percy?"
He opened his mouth—then closed it again.
No answer.
"I didn't plan for things to get like this," he said instead. "It just… happened."
That word again.
Happened.
Like our closeness was an accident.
Like my feelings were just something that occurred without intention.
"You let it happen," I said.
My voice wasn't loud. But it was firm.
"I care about you," he said quickly. "You know I do. What we have—it's real."
I swallowed.
Because that was the problem.
It was real.
"But you still have her," I said.
He didn't deny it.
"I don't want to lose you," he admitted.
And there it was.
The truth.
Not I'll fix it.
Not I'll choose you.
Just… I don't want to lose you.
"So what do you want, Percy?" I asked.
He hesitated.
"I just… I want things to stay the way they were. Talking, laughing… being close. I miss that."
I stared at him.
"You mean… while you're still with her?"
He didn't answer.
But he didn't say no either.
I let out a small breath, shaking my head.
"That's not fair," I said. "You don't get to have both."
"I'm not asking for anything more," he said quickly. "Just… us. The way we were."
The way we were.
Like it didn't mean something.
Like it didn't matter.
Like it didn't hurt.
"I can't do that," I said softly.
And this time, my voice did shake.
"Because it wasn't just 'talking' to me, Percy. It wasn't just 'nothing.'"
He looked at me like he understood.
But understanding didn't change anything.
"I need to choose myself," I added quietly.
The words felt heavy.
But right.
For the first time since all of this started…
He didn't try to stop me.
I walked away again.
But this time, it felt different.
Not easier.
Just… clearer.
And behind me, for the first time—
He let me go.