Chapter 07

The next few days passed in a heavy, aching silence. Gabriella and Mike didn't speak, not even a quick message or call.

The weight of unspoken words settled between them like an invisible wall, thick and suffocating.

Gabriella poured herself into her art, using her sketchbook as a refuge.

Each line she drew was an attempt to quiet the storm in her chest, but it was no use.

Her thoughts always strayed to Mike, his voice, his smile, his laugh, his teasing smirk, and the way his voice softened when he said her name.

She missed him, but she didn't know how to reach out without reopening the wounds of their last argument.

For Mike, the silence was unbearable. He carried it with him everywhere, a constant reminder of how things had spiraled out of control.

He tried to pretend everything was fine, but even the guys noticed the shift in him.

It was Ethan, always blunt and unrelenting, who finally called him out.

" Alright, spill it," Ethan said during lunch, leaning back in his chair when they were sitting in their university cafeteria.

" What's going on with you? "

" Nothing, having my lunch,"

Mike muttered, stabbing his fork into his food.

Ethan scoffed.

" Yeah, okay. You've been off for days now.

Let me guess, is this about Gabriella."

Mike froze, his jaw tightening.

" I don't know what you're talking about."

" You're a terrible liar, man,"

Ethan said, crossing his arms.

" Oh... C'mon man. Tell me now. What happened?"

Mike hesitated, debating whether to shrug it off, but the concern in Ethan's eyes made him cave.

" She's been talking about this guy, Alejandro," he admitted, the name bitter on his tongue.

" I can't stand it."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, nodding slightly as he picked up another bite with his chopsticks.

" Oh, so you're jealous? " he said evenly, his tone unreadable.

" No," Mike shot back, but his voice lacked conviction.

" It's not jealousy. It's... I just don't like the guy. "

Ethan smirked.

" Right. Totally not jealousy.

And the fact you haven't even met him."

Mike sighed, dragging a hand down his face.

" What if she likes him?

What if she moves on?

What if I'm just.... I mean nothing to her? "

Ethan's expression softened, his teasing gone.

" Mike, look buddy, you've been in love with her for years.

She's not going to forget about you because of some random dude.

But if you keep this up, I mean pushing her away, acting like this, you're definitely going to lose her for real."

Mike looked away, the weight of Ethan's words sinking in.

" What am I supposed to do? I don't know how to fix this."

" Start by being her friend first," Ethan said simply.

" Stop overthinking and just... talk to her. She will love it, man. Don't let your fear ruin this."

....

Across the globe, Gabriella sat on her balcony, her sketchbook abandoned in her lap.

The city lights glittered around her, but all she could focus on was the gnawing ache in her chest. Sophia and Isabella's words echoed in her mind:

" He's scared, Gabby. Scared you'll move on."

" He cares about you more than he knows how to say."

She didn't want to believe it, but deep down, she knew they were right.

Mike's distance wasn't just anger or frustration, it was fear. And now, the silence between them felt heavier with each passing day.

Her phone buzzed beside her, and for a fleeting moment, hope flared in her chest.

But when she picked it up, the screen only showed a notification from a group chat.

She sighed, setting the phone back down.

She missed him. She missed the way he always managed to make her laugh, the way his presence alone made her feel safe.

But every time she thought about reaching out, her mind replayed their last argument, and doubt crept in.

What if he didn't want to hear from her?

What if she'd already lost him?

....

That night, Gabriella finally mustered the courage to send a message.

Her fingers trembled as she typed out a simple, tentative text,

" Hey, can we talk? "

She stared at the screen, watching the Delivered notification appear.

Seconds stretched into minutes, and when no response came, she placed the phone face down, trying to calm herself down.

On the other side of globe, Mike saw the message almost instantly. Her name on the screen sent his heart racing, but as much as he wanted to reply, the knot of frustration and doubt in his chest held him back.

What's there to talk about? Alejandro?

The thought alone made his stomach churn.

After a long moment of hesitation, he locked his phone and tossed it onto his bed, leaving the message unanswered.

It wasn't like he didn't want to continue talking to her but the fact, he didn't want to talk about anyone to her that was not him.

He wanted himself the only one for her but the overthinking got the best of him.

...

The silence stretched on for hours, then days. Gabriella checked her phone more times than she cared to admit, but the blank screen mocked her every time.

By the time the weekend rolled around, she felt exhausted, not from work, but from the endless cycle of disappointment and hope.

Mike wasn't much better either. He spent his time at the gym, drowning himself in studies more than he used to, pushing himself to exhaustion in an attempt to get out of his chain of thoughts.

But even with music blasting through his headphones, he couldn't escape her voice in his mind, the memory of her smile, the warmth of her presence.

Finally, it was Eugene who broke the silence, when he had enough of his sighing everytine, he hold his phone.

During a basketball game, he threw the ball at Mike's chest with enough force to make him stumble.

" Dude, get it together," Eugene said, exasperated.

" You're a wreck."

Mike glared at him.

" I'm fine."

" No, you're not,"

Eugene shot back.

" You're sulking. It's pathetic."

Ethan chimed in, crossing his arms.

" You need to talk to her Or are you just going to let this eat you alive? "

Mike sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

" What if I screw it up? What if she doesn't want to hear from me? "

" Then at least you'll know,"

Ethan said firmly.

" But doing nothing? That's the worst thing you can do."

Mike looked at his friends, their words cutting through the fog of doubt.

He knew they were right. Gabriella was slipping away because of him and if he didn't do something soon, he might lose her forever.

He nodded then throw the ball at Eugene with the same force with a cunning smile, challenging him for a match.

Later that night, Mike sat on the edge of his bed, his phone in his hand, staring at Gabriella's name in his messages.

His thumb hovered over the keyboard, but he couldn't bring himself to type anything.

A million thoughts raced through his mind, each one louder than the last.

What if she doesn't want to talk?

What if she's happier without me in her life?

What if she's already moving on... with him?

The thought of Alejandro, his name alone made Mike's blood boil, only fueled his frustration.

He didn't know the guy, but the way Gabriella had spoken about him at the party, with that spark in her eyes, was enough to send Mike's imagination into overdrive.

He hated how insecure it made him feel, like he was suddenly competing for her attention, her affection, her time and her....

But wasn't that the problem?

He wasn't supposed to feel like this. He wasn't supposed to be jealous or territorial.

Gabriella wasn't his, and he had no right to act like she was.

Yet, every time he pictured her laughing with someone else, the ache in his chest tightened.

He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the roots in frustration.

" Get a grip, man," he muttered under his breath.

But it was easier said than done.

The truth was, Gabriella wasn't just someone to him. She was everything.

For him, she was the quiet moment when the world felt too loud.

She was the laugh that could pull him out of his darkest moods.

She was the calm to his chaos, the one and only person whom he allow to saw through his tough exterior and somehow she made him feel like she alone is enough for him.

And now? Now she felt further away than ever.

Mike leaned back against the wall, his phone resting on his knee.

He thought about their argument, replaying it in his head like a broken record.

He had been harsh, too harsh. He had let his jealousy and fear get the better of him, and now they were both paying the price.

He wanted to apologize, to tell her he was sorry for everything. But he didn't know how.

What ifs were making a lot of chaos in his head and he was getting frustrated by time.

What if she didn't forgive him?

What if reaching out only made things worse?

The uncertainty was paralyzing.

Still, the silence between them was unbearable. Every day without her felt like a piece of him was missing.

He missed her more than he cared to admit, her laugh, her voice, the way she always managed to make him smile even when he didn't want to.

He clenched his jaw, staring at her name on the screen.

You're going to lose her if you don't do something.

Ethan's words echoed in his mind.

And for once, Mike couldn't argue. He couldn't keep running from this, couldn't let his fear hold him back.

With a deep breath, he opened the message thread.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard, hesitating for a moment before he finally started typing.

" Hey, are you free to talk? "

He stared at the words, debating whether to hit send. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat a reminder of how much she meant to him.

Finally, before he could overthink it any further, he pressed send and tossed his phone onto the bed.

Now, all he could do was wait, and hope that she still wanted to hear from him.