The Pulley of Unspoken Feelings

Some things were easy to say—like laughter shared over a joke or complaints about a tough assignment.

But other things remained unspoken, hanging in the air like unfinished sentences.

Akutu wasn't sure when she first noticed it. The way Nathan's gaze lingered a little longer. The way his voice softened when he spoke to her. The way he always seemed to be there, even when she didn't ask.

It was subtle, almost imperceptible.

But it was there.

One evening, they sat outside the library, watching the sky fade into twilight. Their study session had ended, but neither of them made a move to leave.

Nathan was unusually quiet.

"You're thinking about something," Akutu said, tilting her head at him.

He gave her a small smile. "Yeah. Just… wondering about things."

"Like what?"

He hesitated, then exhaled. "Like how some things feel so clear in your head, but when you try to say them out loud, they don't come out right."

Akutu looked at him, sensing there was more beneath his words.

She didn't press.

Instead, she simply said, "Sometimes, you don't have to say things. You just… show them."

Nathan turned to her then, eyes searching hers, like he was trying to figure out if she understood.

And the truth was—she did.

Because she had been feeling it too.

This quiet pull between them. The warmth in his presence. The way her heart reacted in ways she didn't fully understand.

But neither of them said it.

Not yet.

Maybe because the timing wasn't right. Maybe because they were both afraid of what it might mean.

So instead, they sat there, side by side, wrapped in the comfort of a friendship that was slowly becoming something more.

And for now, that was enough.

The pulleys of life had shifted once again.