The party continued to blur around Caleb, but his eyes stayed locked on the dance floor.
Sophie swayed with Ryan to the slow beat, smiling politely. She wasn’t laughing like she usually did with Caleb. Her smile was tight, almost forced. But even knowing that, Caleb couldn’t shake the weight in his chest as he watched another guy’s hand rest on her back.
Every second she stayed out there felt like a silent test he was failing.
“You’re brooding.”
Caleb turned sharply. Liam appeared beside him, sipping from a red cup, observing the scene with his usual easygoing grin.
“Not brooding,” Caleb muttered.
Liam raised an eyebrow. “Right. You’re just staring holes through that guy’s head because you enjoy people-watching.”
Caleb exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I shouldn’t care.”
“But you do.”
Caleb didn’t answer.
Liam leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You’ve been into Sophie for, what, a year? Maybe longer. And you’re still sitting here doing nothing while some other dude tries to cut in.”
Caleb glanced down, his throat tightening. “It’s not that simple.”
“It is.” Liam’s voice softened. “The only thing between you two is fear.”
Caleb swallowed hard.
Liam patted him on the shoulder and walked away, leaving Caleb standing in the sea of noise, feeling more alone than ever.
⸻
The song changed.
Sophie excused herself from Ryan after another minute and made her way back through the crowd, her eyes scanning until she found Caleb still rooted to the same spot. She smiled when she reached him, but there was a flicker of something in her gaze — almost like relief.
“Hey,” she said breathlessly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” His voice was quiet. “You?”
She hesitated, her smile faltering slightly. “Fine. Ryan’s… friendly.”
Caleb nodded, but the words he wanted to say burned inside him.
“I saw you watching,” Sophie added softly, her voice barely above the music.
Caleb’s heart stumbled. “I—”
“Was it bothering you?” she asked. Her eyes met his, unflinching.
He froze. This was it — the door opening. He could lie, make a joke, keep things safe. Or he could finally be honest.
“It was,” he admitted. His voice was rougher than he intended. “Yeah, it was.”
Sophie’s breath caught. Neither moved. The crowd felt distant, like they were standing in their own private world.
“Why?” she whispered.
Caleb’s fingers curled into fists. His chest ached. “Because I… I don’t want anyone else dancing with you.”
Sophie’s eyes widened slightly.
“I don’t want to pretend like I don’t feel something anymore, Sophie,” he continued, the words finally breaking free. “I don’t know when it started. Maybe it’s always been there. But every time you look at me, every time you laugh at my stupid jokes, I feel like my heart’s gonna rip out of my chest.”
Her lips parted as if to speak, but nothing came.
The moment stretched, fragile and charged.
“I know I might be ruining everything by saying this,” Caleb said, his voice shaking now. “But I can’t keep pretending we’re just friends.”
Sophie stood frozen, her expression unreadable.
Then, after a long breath, she whispered, “I was afraid you didn’t feel it too.”
Caleb blinked. “What?”
“I’ve been scared, Caleb. Scared of losing you. But… I feel it too.”
The tightness in his chest burst into something warm and terrifying all at once. They stood there, closer now, inches apart.
Neither moved to close the distance yet, but something had shifted — permanently.
⸻
To be continued…
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