Chapter 3 UNSPOKEN THINGS

Ava wasn't the jealous type. At least, that's what she told herself.

But seeing Liam laughing with Tessa Barnes by the vending machine made something sharp twist in her stomach. Tessa, with her perfect hair and oversized laugh and the kind of confidence that didn't even try-it was annoying how well she fit beside him.

They were waiting for the professor to arrive for presentation sign-ups. She had her notebook clutched a little too tightly in her hands, eyes trained on Liam and Tessa like they were a math problem she couldn't solve.

"You're staring," her friend Maya whispered beside her.

"I'm observing."

"You're low-key brooding."

Ava rolled her eyes. "He can talk to whoever he wants."

"Mmhm. Totally. And you're definitely not bothered."

She hated how readable she was sometimes. She turned away just as Liam looked up-and for a second, their eyes locked. Just a flicker of a glance. But it was enough to make her chest tighten.

He smiled.

She didn't smile back.

Liam noticed her the second he walked in.

Ava in her oversized hoodie, arms crossed, looking like she had something to prove just by existing. She wasn't like other girls who angled for attention. She withdrew from it, and somehow, that made him want to watch her even more.

Talking to Tessa had been a distraction. He didn't even know what they were laughing about-probably something stupid. But when he looked up and saw Ava's stare, the brief flicker in her eyes told him everything.

She was jealous.

And maybe-maybe-he liked that.

But the moment passed. She looked away. Back to guarded, unreadable Ava.

Their names were called for presentation slots, and they were assigned the last one on the list. Week ten. Right before finals. The pressure was on.

"You okay with that?" he asked as they left the building.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You didn't look thrilled."

"I didn't realize you were studying my facial expressions now."

He grinned. "Maybe I like reading the things you don't say."

She didn't respond.

He didn't expect her to.

Later That Night,

She sat on her bed, laptop open but ignored, staring at a half-written text:

"You and Tessa look good together". (Delete)

"I didn't know you were close to her". (Delete)

"Never mind".

She tossed her phone across the bed and exhaled.

Why did it matter?

They weren't dating. They weren't anything.

Except-they were something. That strange, in-between thing where you care more than you're supposed to, but can't admit it out loud.

She opened the photo album on her phone. Scrolled. Stopped at a blurry picture Liam had taken of her during their last study session. She hadn't even known he took it. In the picture, she was smiling-really smiling.

She didn't even recognize herself.

Liam

He couldn't sleep.

Which wasn't new, really. But lately, it was different. The silence wasn't peaceful-it was loud.

He found himself thinking about Ava's voice. The way she always seemed to be thinking three things before she spoke one. The way her eyes flicked down when she was trying not to smile. The way her laugh felt rare, like treasure.

He hadn't told her about the phone call he got last week. The one from his sister. The one that shook him enough to keep him up like this.

"I need you, Liam. Mom's getting worse. You can't keep running from this."

But he was running.

And maybe that's why Ava made sense. She was a distraction that didn't ask for anything. Except-he knew she wanted something. He saw it in her eyes every time she looked at him like she was trying not to care.

He grabbed his phone and typed:

"What would you do if someone you care about needed you-but you didn't know how to show up for them?"

He stared at it.

Then hit send.

Ava

The ping woke her. She read the message three times before responding.

Ava [1:23 AM]

"I'd show up anyway. Even if I was a mess."

Ava [1:23 AM]

"Sometimes just being there is enough."

A long pause.

Liam [1:30 AM]

"You always say the right thing."

Ava [1:31 AM]

"I don't. I just say the honest thing."

Liam [1:32 AM]

"That's even worse."

And then...

Liam [1:33 AM]

"Meet me tomorrow. Rooftop. 5pm."

She stared at it for a long time.

Then typed:

Ava [1:35 AM]

"Okay."

The Next Morning, At the rooftop.

The sun was low when Ava climbed the stairs to the building's rooftop. She half expected him to bail. Liam wasn't exactly known for following through on plans that didn't benefit him.

But there he was.

Hood up. Hands in pockets. Wind playing with his hair.

He turned when he heard her footsteps.

"You came," he said, like he genuinely wasn't sure she would.

"You asked."

He smiled-tired, small, grateful.

They sat side by side on the ledge, staring out over the city. For a while, neither of them said anything. And for once, it didn't feel like silence filled the space between them.

It felt like trust.

Liam finally broke it. "I don't want to be that guy anymore."

"What guy?"

"The one everyone expects to disappear."

Ava didn't look at him. "Then stay."

His breath hitched just slightly.

"I'm trying."

And in that quiet moment, Ava realized something terrifying:

She was already falling.

And she had no idea if he'd catch her.