Bella sat frozen at the edge of her bed.
The lights were on again, but inside her chest it still felt dim—tight.
Ellie had left. Just like that.
"She kissed me… and then she left?"
Bella blinked at the floor, still feeling the warmth on her lips.
"She didn't even let me explain… Did she think I was rejecting her?"
She touched her lips lightly, her heart refusing to slow down.
"No, I just—I needed to breathe. That's all. It was just… too fast."
She looked up, caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
Disheveled. Red-cheeked.
But there was something else in her face too.
Hope.
Bella stood. She walked to the mirror, fixed her hair.
Then hesitated.
Grabbed her lipstick.
Paused.
Then put it back.
"Am I really doing this?"
A nervous laugh escaped her.
She tied her hair up simply, trying to calm the tremble in her chest.
Her feet carried her to Ellie's door before her brain could stop her.
She stood in front of it, breathing slowly.
Trying to find courage.
Maybe she wouldn't say it directly.
But maybe she'd give her a sign.
Let Ellie know she didn't hate what happened.
That… maybe she wanted more.
Just as Bella was about to knock, her phone buzzed.
A message lit up the screen.
Alice: "I'm at the hospital. Can you come?"
Bella stared at it. Her throat tightened.
"Now? Why now…"
Her hand dropped.
She stepped back from Ellie's door.
It's Dragging her back to the past.
To the guilt.
To everything she tried so hard to forget.
Alice.
The woman who loved her and ruined her at the same time.
Bella's heart thudded painfully.
She stepped back from Ellie's door.
Like it was no longer allowed.
Her hand dropped.
Her eyes shut tightly.
Not again.
She turned.
Went back to her room.
Otherwise in the next morning Ellie hadn't sleep much.
She kept staring at the ceiling, replaying the moment again and again in her head. The kiss. The silence. The look on Bella's face.
"Did I just ruin everything?"
She sat up slowly on her bed, hands gripping the blanket. Her chest felt tight. She wanted to talk to Bella. To explain. To say it wasn't a joke. That it meant something. That Bella means something.
But…
What if Bella really didn't want that?
What if she was only being polite by not pushing her away?
What if she thought Ellie was disgusting?
Ellie let out a shaky breath and rubbed her eyes. "Damn it…"
She finally stood up and fixed her hoodie, took a deep breath, and walked out from her room toward the kitchen. She hoped she'd bump into Bella. Maybe say "Good morning," test the waters.
But the house was quiet.
Too quiet.
She knocked lightly on Bella's door. No answer.
She opened it a little. Empty.
She was gone.
Her chest dropped.
"Did she leave early just to avoid me…?"
Ellie looked down at her hands. "Of course she did. Why wouldn't she?"
She bit her lower lip, trying not to overthink, but it was already too late. The silence felt like a punishment.