7: TANGLED EMOTIONS

The morning after the kiss was a blur. Alex couldn't shake the image of Clara's lips against his, her soft but confident pressure against him, the way the world had seemed to fade when their mouths met. But as he lay in bed, the weight of Dave's presence, his piercing eyes watching them; settled deeper in his chest.

He hadn't expected that. He hadn't expected any of this.

The tension between him and Clara felt intense, even in the silence of their messages. She hadn't texted since last night, and Alex found himself rereading their conversation over and over again, each time hoping for a different outcome, a clearer answer. His mind raced with all the things left unsaid. But the more he tried to clear his head, the more he found himself circling back to Dave's expression. It was like Dave had been a ghost in the room, and the way he'd left without saying a word had been a death knell to whatever fragile thread of normalcy they had left.

Clara wasn't the only one who felt it. Alex was drawn to her in a way that both scared and thrilled him, but it was complicated. He hadn't expected this level of connection, this need. And then there was Dave, who seemed to be distancing himself after the moment that had shattered their balance.

He couldn't help but wonder if Dave liked Dave like Clara...or him? The question floated in the back of his mind, taunting him, because it seemed so unlikely, yet there was something about the way Dave had acted that night that made Alex think twice. Could it be possible?

As Alex stared at his phone screen, waiting for any sign from Clara, he was snapped out of his thoughts by a sudden knock on his door.

"Yo, you up?" It was Dave.

Alex hesitated before answering. He was already tense, his stomach knotted from the events of last night. But there was no avoiding it. Dave was there. He couldn't pretend things were normal, not after what had happened. Alex opened the door.

Dave stood there, hands stuffed in his pockets, eyes avoiding Alex's gaze. The usual calm indifference in his expression was replaced with something unreadable, almost guarded. The silence between them was thick, stretching for what felt like an eternity.

"Hey," Alex started, unsure of what to say.

"Hey," Dave responded shortly. He cleared his throat, stepping inside without waiting for an invitation.

Alex shut the door behind him, feeling the weight of the situation closing in. There was a tension between them now, something electric and uncomfortable. He tried to look at Dave, but the silence was too much. It felt like a chasm had opened between them.

'Why is he even here?' he thought.

"I saw you last night," Dave finally said, his voice quiet, almost detached. "You and Clara. The kiss."

Alex swallowed hard. His heart pounded in his chest, but he didn't know what to say. "Yeah," was all he managed.

Dave glanced at him, his eyes flicking up to meet Alex's for just a moment before quickly darting away again. "So... What's that all about?"

The question hung in the air, heavy with implications. Alex's mind raced, but he couldn't come up with a clear answer. "I don't know, Dave," he admitted. "It's complicated. I didn't expect..."

"You didn't expect what?" Dave interrupted, his voice harder now, tinged with something Alex couldn't place. "You didn't expect to feel something? Or you didn't expect me to feel something?"

Alex's breath caught in his throat. "I don't...what do you mean?"

Dave let out a short, bitter laugh. "Nothing. Just forget it." He turned and walked toward the door, pausing at the threshold. "I'm not your competition, Alex."

The words hit harder than Alex expected. The door shut behind him with a soft click, and Alex stood frozen in place. The silence was suffocating. He was left wondering if he had just lost a friend, or if something deeper had shifted between them; something unspoken but undeniable.

Later that day, as Alex walked through campus, his thoughts were still clouded by Dave's words, by Clara's kiss, and by the complexity of it all. He had expected to feel clarity, but instead, he was tangled in a mess of confusion. He barely registered the movement in front of him until he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, you okay?"

It was Clara. Her eyes were searching his face, waiting for an answer. She had texted him earlier, but it had been brief, just asking if he was free to meet up. She seemed eager to talk, to clear things up, but Alex didn't know how to approach it.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, but the words felt hollow.

Clara tilted her head slightly, studying him with a mix of curiosity and concern. "You sure? You're acting... distant."

Alex sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and murmured, "Distant? you ignored my texts the whole night"

"What?"

"I said...It's just... everything's a little messed up right now."

"Is it about last night?" she asked, her voice softening. "Look, I don't regret what happened, but I just... I need to know what *you* want, Alex. I can't keep guessing."

He looked at her, feeling the weight of her gaze. He wanted to be honest, to be clear, but there was something inside of him that still held back. Was he ready for this? Was he ready to admit what he felt, to let Clara in fully? Or was he scared of what that would mean for his relationship with Dave, for everything else?

"I don't know," Alex admitted, his voice cracking slightly. "I want to be with you, Clara. I do. But I'm also... confused."

Clara smiled gently, taking his hand. "We'll figure it out. Together. I'm not going anywhere."

Though she felt so stupid at that moment, it was all she could think of. 

Before Alex could respond, he heard footsteps approaching, quick and heavy. A familiar voice called out to them.

"Clara! Alex!"

It was Hannah. She was alone, her face tense as she approached them quickly. Behind her was Hannah, trailing just a few steps behind, her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Hey," Clara greeted her with , but Hannah didn't return the smile. There was a certain coldness in her tone as she spoke.

"Can we talk? Alone, Clara?"

Clara shot a quick look at Alex, but he nodded, sensing that whatever was coming needed to be addressed. "Sure."

As Clara followed Hannah to a quieter corner of the campus, Alex was left standing with Terah. The tension in the air was thick; Terah wasn't looking at him, and Alex could sense that something wasn't right. Something had shifted, and he wasn't sure if it was between Terah and Hannah, or if it was something else entirely.

"Is everything okay?" Alex asked, his voice low.

Terah shrugged but didn't answer right away. Her face was unreadable, but Alex knew her well enough to see the pain behind her eyes. She was struggling, and it was clear that whatever had happened between her and Terah was weighing on her.

"Things never really get easier," Hannah muttered finally, her voice raw. 

"I messed up again"

Alex wasn't sure how to respond. He wanted to ask more, but the conversation felt too heavy. Instead, they stood there in silence, both lost in their thoughts, unsure of where things were headed.

Later that evening, as Alex sat in his room, the events of the day still haunted him. He thought of Dave, of Clara, of Hannah and Terah; and he couldn't escape the feeling that things were only going to get messier from here.

 But there was one thing he knew for sure: things were never going to be the same again.