The Date that never happened

Saturday afternoon arrived, and Kiara had spent the morning getting ready for her date with Liam. She wasn't sure what to expect, but there was something exciting about the idea of getting to know him better outside of school. She had texted him earlier, confirming the time and location. Everything seemed set.

But as she walked down the hallway to meet him at the school gates, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Kelly's behavior had been strange all week. At first, he'd been trying to discourage her, then he'd pulled back into this cold, distant version of himself that Kiara hadn't seen in a long time. She couldn't quite place it, but it felt like he was avoiding her while also pulling at her in a way she couldn't explain.

When she arrived at the school gates, she spotted Liam standing by his car. He smiled when he saw her, and Kiara returned the smile, feeling a wave of relief. He looked friendly and excited, but that nagging feeling in the back of her mind lingered. It wasn't until she turned around to wave goodbye to Kelly—who was leaning against a nearby tree, his arms crossed and a stony look on his face—that the unease truly settled in her chest.

"Hey, Kiara," Liam called, his voice pulling her attention back to him. "Ready to go?"

Kiara nodded, forcing herself to smile. "Yeah, let's go." She turned one last time to look at Kelly, but he didn't seem to be paying attention to her anymore. His eyes were trained on the ground, and the look on his face made Kiara's heart tighten with confusion.

As she got into Liam's car, Kiara tried to push the lingering doubts away. This was supposed to be a fun evening. She didn't want to let Kelly's strange mood get in the way of that. But even as they drove to the movie theater, her thoughts kept drifting back to Kelly.

---

Meanwhile, Kelly was pacing the living room, frustration gnawing at him. He had already decided he didn't want Kiara to go out with Liam, but as much as he tried to keep his distance, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing. His stomach churned every time he thought about Kiara laughing with Liam, enjoying herself.

Kelly knew he had no right to feel this way. He had no claim over her—he had never asked her out, never even made his feelings clear. But now, seeing her with another guy, he realized just how much he wanted her. He couldn't stand the thought of losing her to someone else.

Kelly had tried to talk to her earlier, but she'd brushed him off, told him that she needed to do this. He didn't like it, but he respected her decision—at least, he told himself he did.

However, as the hours went on and Kiara's date with Liam wore on, Kelly found himself growing more and more restless. He needed to do something. He couldn't just let this happen.

---

Kiara and Liam were halfway through the movie when she felt her phone buzz in her purse. She fished it out and looked at the screen. It was a text from Kelly.

*"Hope you're having fun with Liam. Hope he's not boring you too much. ;)"*

Kiara rolled her eyes at the text. Of course, Kelly would send something like this. It wasn't the first time he'd teased her, but this time, something felt off. She looked around to see if Liam was watching her, but he was too absorbed in the movie to notice. Kiara quickly typed back a reply.

*"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. You should be enjoying your Saturday too. No need to be so moody."*

She hit send and slipped her phone back into her purse. She looked over at Liam, who was smiling at her. "Everything okay?" he asked, clearly noticing the brief distraction.

"Yeah, just a little message from Kelly," Kiara said with a half-smile. "He's being a little… overprotective."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Overprotective?"

"Yeah, he's like that sometimes," Kiara laughed. "But don't worry about him. He's always been my best friend."

Liam chuckled, clearly amused. "I can tell. You two are close."

Kiara nodded. "We are. But sometimes, he's a little too much."

---

As the evening continued, Kelly couldn't sit still. His attempts to distract himself by playing video games or scrolling through social media were futile. His mind kept wandering back to Kiara and Liam. The jealousy, the desire to protect her—it was overwhelming.

Kelly wasn't sure when he'd crossed the line. At first, he had just been a guy who didn't want his best friend to get hurt. But now, he realized it was more than that. He didn't want Kiara to be with anyone else, even if he hadn't been brave enough to admit his feelings for her.

By the time the date was winding down, Kelly had had enough. He couldn't let her go back to Liam.

Without thinking, he grabbed his keys and stormed out of his house, getting into his car and driving to the movie theater.

---

Kiara and Liam were walking out of the theater when Kelly arrived. He parked his car quickly, getting out and making his way toward them with a determined stride.

"Kiara!" he called, his voice tight.

Kiara turned around in surprise. "Kelly? What are you doing here?"

"I—I came to pick you up," Kelly said, his tone firm. He couldn't hide the tension in his voice. "I thought we were supposed to hang out tonight, just the two of us. What's this?" He gestured toward Liam, who was standing a few feet away, looking uncomfortable.

Liam raised his hands in mock surrender. "I was just walking her to her car, man."

Kiara, sensing the sudden hostility, stepped between them. "Kelly, what are you doing here? I told you I was going on a date with Liam. Why are you making a scene?"

Kelly's face reddened. "I just don't want you to—" He stopped himself, realizing he was being unreasonable. "I don't want you to be with him," he muttered, more to himself than to Kiara.

Kiara's eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me," Kelly said, his voice tight with frustration. "I don't want you going out with him. I can't stand the thought of you being with anyone else."

Kiara was silent for a long moment, processing his words. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her mind raced. She'd never seen Kelly like this before—so vulnerable, so raw.

Finally, she spoke. "Kelly, I don't know what's going on with you, but this isn't how you solve things. You can't just show up here and ruin my plans."

"I'm not ruining anything," Kelly said softly. "I just... I don't want you to get hurt. I care about you."

Kiara stood there, torn between the two of them. Liam, who was looking at her with a confused expression, and Kelly, who was clearly struggling to admit something he hadn't yet said out loud.

---

Chapter End