Chapter 2 Two

Lisa had always known that Willy adored her. It wasn't something he said out loud during their high school years, but it echoed in the little things he did-the way he always saved her a seat in class, the way his eyes lit up when she laughed, the way he always walked her home even if it meant taking the long way back for himself.

For years, they had stayed in that careful space between friendship and something more. Lisa had told herself it was better this way. Love could complicate everything. What if they dated and it didn't work out? What if she lost him for good?

But three years after graduation, things changed.

They were sitting in the park, their old hangout spot, beneath the rustling canopy of trees, the sun slowly dipping beneath the horizon.

"I need to tell you something," Willy said, his voice lower than usual.

Lisa glanced at him, a little smile playing on her lips. "Sounds serious."

"It is."

He took a deep breath. "I've loved you for a long time. And I don't want to be just your friend anymore."

Lisa froze, her heart pounding in her chest. She'd waited years to hear those words, and yet now that they were out in the open, she didn't know what to do with them.

"I... Willy, I care about you. So much," she said. "But what if we ruin what we have?"

Willy reached out, gently taking her hand. "I'd rather take the risk than wonder forever."

There was a long pause. The wind whispered through the leaves above them, and Lisa squeezed his hand back.

"Okay," she said softly. "Let's try."

Dating Willy felt like navigating a new country with an old map. Everything looked familiar-his laugh, his scent, his goofy sense of humor-but now, there were new layers: stolen kisses, hand-holding, whispered confessions. Yet, it always felt... a little awkward. They were still learning how to be romantic after so many years of being platonic.

Still, Willy tried. He would drive miles to surprise her with her favorite chocolate bar or call her late at night just to say, "I miss you." It wasn't perfect, but it was sincere.

Then came the fall. Lisa got accepted into a university in another city, and suddenly their relationship was stretched thin across hundreds of miles. Texts became shorter, calls became less frequent. Still, they tried.

But trying wasn't enough when tragedy struck.

Willy's father died unexpectedly. Lisa remembered the call-his voice cracked and broken, as if something inside him had shattered.

"Lisa... he's gone."

"I'm so sorry, Willy," she whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "I wish I could be there."

After that, everything changed. Willy withdrew. He stopped replying to messages, stopped calling. At first, Lisa was patient. She understood grief-how it could hollow someone out, make it hard to even get out of bed, let alone sustain a relationship.

But two weeks passed with no word. No "I'm okay," no "I need space," not even a "hello." Just silence.

That was when Joe entered the picture.

Joe was in two of her classes and always seemed to find a way to sit next to her. He was charming, quick-witted, and had a calm presence that made Lisa feel less like an outsider in her new world.

"You always look like you're thinking about the universe," he said one day after class.

Lisa chuckled. "Just missing home, I guess."

"I've got something that might help," Joe said with a grin. "Come stargazing with me tonight?"

She hesitated. "I... I don't know. I'm seeing someone."

Joe nodded, the smile still on his lips but softer now. "Just as friends. Promise."

So she went.

That night, under a sky littered with stars, Lisa felt something she hadn't felt in weeks-connection. Joe made her laugh. He listened. He didn't press too hard, but she could feel the unspoken want in the air.

"I don't want to be just your friend," Joe admitted after a while, voice barely above a whisper. "But I'll take what you'll give me."

Lisa stared up at the stars, her chest tight with guilt and confusion.

"I haven't heard from him in two weeks," she said, more to herself than to him. "I know he's grieving. I know. But I just... I feel invisible."

"You deserve to be seen," Joe said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

The moment hung between them like a held breath.

Then came the kiss-soft, lingering, full of warmth. A kiss that felt like being found.

After that night, everything changed.

Lisa knew she couldn't go back-not just because of the kiss, but because something inside her had shifted. She felt alive again, and with that aliveness came guilt.

She sat in her dorm room the next day, staring at her phone. There was still no message from Willy.

"I'm sorry," she whispered aloud, as if he could hear her. "I couldn't keep waiting."

Two more weeks passed. Finally, Willy called.

"Lisa... I'm sorry. I've been a mess. I just... I didn't know how to talk to anyone."

Her heart broke at the sound of his voice, but it was too late.

"I'm sorry too," she said. "But I met someone. I didn't plan to... it just happened."

Silence. Then, a quiet exhale.

"I guess I took too long."

"I didn't want to leave you. But I needed someone. And he was there."

"I get it," Willy said. "I do. I just wish it wasn't him."

Lisa cried that night. Not because she regretted the kiss, or even the decision, but because love, no matter how real, couldn't always survive distance, time, and pain.

She would always care for Willy. He had been her best friend, her first love. But in the end, she had chosen the present over the past. She had chosen the boy who saw her when she felt invisible.

And under that star-filled sky, she made peace with the choice.