Chapter 26:Shattered Dreams

The backstage area was buzzing with activity as the cast of The Little Mermaid prepared for the final performance. The air was thick with excitement, but Celeste couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong. Her heart was still heavy from the conversation with Ryan, and the words he had said to her echoed in her mind like an endless loop. He wasn't sure about their relationship, and that uncertainty was eating her up from the inside out.

She stood alone in the corner, watching the others rehearse, trying to keep her emotions under control. But it was getting harder to pretend that everything was okay.

"Hey, Celeste." A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see Natalie standing there, her eyes concerned.

Celeste forced a smile. "Oh, hey, Natalie. What's up?"

Natalie hesitated, glancing around nervously before taking a step closer. "You're not looking so great. What's going on?"

Celeste sighed, biting her lip. She wanted to confide in her best friend, but the words seemed to get caught in her throat. She didn't want to burden Natalie with her problems, especially not with everything happening in the show. But at that moment, she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I don't know what's going on with Ryan," Celeste confessed, her voice cracking slightly. "He… he said he doesn't know if he's in love with me. That he's confused."

Natalie's eyes widened with shock, and she stepped closer, her hand resting gently on Celeste's arm. "Oh my god, Celeste, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

Celeste shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "It's just… everything felt so perfect, you know? And now… now it feels like I've lost him. Like he doesn't care anymore."

Natalie bit her lip, clearly struggling with what to say. "I don't know what's going on with him, but if he really cares about you, he wouldn't just throw everything away like that."

Celeste wiped her eyes quickly, trying to compose herself. "But it's not just that. There's something else… something weird. I think… I think he might be into someone else."

Natalie's face fell. "What do you mean? Is there someone else?"

Celeste hesitated before answering, glancing around as if to make sure no one else was listening. "I think it's you, Natalie."

The words hung in the air between them, and Celeste could see the shock in Natalie's eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

"I don't know for sure," Celeste continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I've seen the way he looks at you, the way he talks to you. And it makes me wonder if he's starting to feel something for you instead of me."

Natalie shook her head quickly, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Celeste, no. I—I'm not trying to steal him from you. I would never do that. You're my best friend."

Celeste's heart ached at the sincerity in Natalie's voice. "I know you wouldn't, Nat. I just… I don't know what to do. I feel like everything is falling apart."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The noise of the rehearsals faded into the background as Celeste tried to make sense of the storm inside her.

Finally, Natalie spoke again, her voice firm. "Listen to me, Celeste. If Ryan really feels that way about you, he needs to figure it out. But that doesn't mean you have to sit around and wait for him. You deserve someone who knows exactly what they want. You're amazing, Celeste. Don't let him make you feel like you're not enough."

Celeste nodded, though it was clear she was still torn. She had always believed in Ryan, in their connection, but now… now she wasn't sure what to believe.

Just as she was about to say something, she heard footsteps approaching. She turned to find Ryan standing there, his expression unreadable.

"Celeste," he said, his voice tense.

She felt her heart flutter, a mix of hope and dread washing over her. "What do you want, Ryan?"

He took a deep breath, his gaze flickering nervously between Celeste and Natalie. "We need to talk. Alone."

Celeste glanced at Natalie, who gave her a small nod of encouragement before stepping away, leaving the two of them alone.

Ryan moved closer, but Celeste stepped back, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear what he had to say, but she couldn't avoid it any longer.

"I'm sorry for what I said before," Ryan began, his voice softer now. "I've been confused. And I've been running away from what I feel."

Celeste's breath caught in her throat. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't know how to explain it, but I do care about you," Ryan continued, his eyes searching hers. "A lot. More than I thought I did. But there's something else I need to tell you."

Celeste's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"

Ryan took a deep breath, his expression serious. "I… I've been talking to Natalie. About you. And about everything that's been happening. And I realized something. I don't want to lose you, Celeste. But I also don't want to hurt anyone in the process."

Celeste felt a pang of confusion in her chest. "So, what does that mean? Are you saying you're not sure about me anymore?"

Ryan shook his head quickly, his hands reaching out to her. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying I need to figure out what I truly want. And I think it's you, Celeste. But I need to make sure. I need to be sure."

Celeste swallowed, fighting the tears that threatened to spill over. "So, you're asking for time?"

He nodded slowly. "I don't want to make any decisions out of confusion. I want to be sure of my feelings for you before we go any further."

The silence stretched between them, the weight of his words pressing down on Celeste's chest.

"Okay," she finally whispered. "I'll give you that time. But don't make me wait forever, Ryan. I don't have the strength for that."

He nodded, his eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and hope. "I promise, Celeste. I won't keep you hanging."

Before Celeste could respond, Ryan turned and walked away, leaving her standing there in the quiet backstage area. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions—confusion, pain, hope. She had just given him the space he asked for, but she didn't know if she could wait much longer.

As Celeste stood alone in the backstage area, staring into the mirror, she couldn't shake the feeling that everything was about to change. Ryan was pulling away, but a part of her still held on to the hope that he would come back to her.

But something told her that the storm wasn't over yet. The winds of change were blowing, and soon, she would be forced to face the truth of her relationship with Ryan—and what that truth meant for their future.

To Be Continued

The backstage area was buzzing with activity as the cast of The Little Mermaid prepared for the final performance. The air was thick with excitement, but Celeste couldn't shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong. Her heart was still heavy from the conversation with Ryan, and the words he had said to her echoed in her mind like an endless loop. He wasn't sure about their relationship, and that uncertainty was eating her up from the inside out.

She stood alone in the corner, watching the others rehearse, trying to keep her emotions under control. But it was getting harder to pretend that everything was okay.

"Hey, Celeste." A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned to see Natalie standing there, her eyes concerned.

Celeste forced a smile. "Oh, hey, Natalie. What's up?"

Natalie hesitated, glancing around nervously before taking a step closer. "You're not looking so great. What's going on?"

Celeste sighed, biting her lip. She wanted to confide in her best friend, but the words seemed to get caught in her throat. She didn't want to burden Natalie with her problems, especially not with everything happening in the show. But at that moment, she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I don't know what's going on with Ryan," Celeste confessed, her voice cracking slightly. "He… he said he doesn't know if he's in love with me. That he's confused."

Natalie's eyes widened with shock, and she stepped closer, her hand resting gently on Celeste's arm. "Oh my god, Celeste, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

Celeste shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "It's just… everything felt so perfect, you know? And now… now it feels like I've lost him. Like he doesn't care anymore."

Natalie bit her lip, clearly struggling with what to say. "I don't know what's going on with him, but if he really cares about you, he wouldn't just throw everything away like that."

Celeste wiped her eyes quickly, trying to compose herself. "But it's not just that. There's something else… something weird. I think… I think he might be into someone else."

Natalie's face fell. "What do you mean? Is there someone else?"

Celeste hesitated before answering, glancing around as if to make sure no one else was listening. "I think it's you, Natalie."

The words hung in the air between them, and Celeste could see the shock in Natalie's eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out.

"I don't know for sure," Celeste continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I've seen the way he looks at you, the way he talks to you. And it makes me wonder if he's starting to feel something for you instead of me."

Natalie shook her head quickly, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Celeste, no. I—I'm not trying to steal him from you. I would never do that. You're my best friend."

Celeste's heart ached at the sincerity in Natalie's voice. "I know you wouldn't, Nat. I just… I don't know what to do. I feel like everything is falling apart."

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The noise of the rehearsals faded into the background as Celeste tried to make sense of the storm inside her.

Finally, Natalie spoke again, her voice firm. "Listen to me, Celeste. If Ryan really feels that way about you, he needs to figure it out. But that doesn't mean you have to sit around and wait for him. You deserve someone who knows exactly what they want. You're amazing, Celeste. Don't let him make you feel like you're not enough."

Celeste nodded, though it was clear she was still torn. She had always believed in Ryan, in their connection, but now… now she wasn't sure what to believe.

Just as she was about to say something, she heard footsteps approaching. She turned to find Ryan standing there, his expression unreadable.

"Celeste," he said, his voice tense.

She felt her heart flutter, a mix of hope and dread washing over her. "What do you want, Ryan?"

He took a deep breath, his gaze flickering nervously between Celeste and Natalie. "We need to talk. Alone."

Celeste glanced at Natalie, who gave her a small nod of encouragement before stepping away, leaving the two of them alone.

Ryan moved closer, but Celeste stepped back, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear what he had to say, but she couldn't avoid it any longer.

"I'm sorry for what I said before," Ryan began, his voice softer now. "I've been confused. And I've been running away from what I feel."

Celeste's breath caught in her throat. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't know how to explain it, but I do care about you," Ryan continued, his eyes searching hers. "A lot. More than I thought I did. But there's something else I need to tell you."

Celeste's heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"

Ryan took a deep breath, his expression serious. "I… I've been talking to Natalie. About you. And about everything that's been happening. And I realized something. I don't want to lose you, Celeste. But I also don't want to hurt anyone in the process."

Celeste felt a pang of confusion in her chest. "So, what does that mean? Are you saying you're not sure about me anymore?"

Ryan shook his head quickly, his hands reaching out to her. "No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying I need to figure out what I truly want. And I think it's you, Celeste. But I need to make sure. I need to be sure."

Celeste swallowed, fighting the tears that threatened to spill over. "So, you're asking for time?"

He nodded slowly. "I don't want to make any decisions out of confusion. I want to be sure of my feelings for you before we go any further."

The silence stretched between them, the weight of his words pressing down on Celeste's chest.

"Okay," she finally whispered. "I'll give you that time. But don't make me wait forever, Ryan. I don't have the strength for that."

He nodded, his eyes filled with a mixture of guilt and hope. "I promise, Celeste. I won't keep you hanging."

Before Celeste could respond, Ryan turned and walked away, leaving her standing there in the quiet backstage area. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions—confusion, pain, hope. She had just given him the space he asked for, but she didn't know if she could wait much longer.

As Celeste stood alone in the backstage area, staring into the mirror, she couldn't shake the feeling that everything was about to change. Ryan was pulling away, but a part of her still held on to the hope that he would come back to her.

But something told her that the storm wasn't over yet. The winds of change were blowing, and soon, she would be forced to face the truth of her relationship with Ryan—and what that truth meant for their future.

To Be Continued