After the phone call, Dare changed.
Not in the way Tiana feared.
He did not become distant.
He became quieter.
Like he had finally reached the point where he was too tired to keep pretending everything was fine.
The next day, he barely spoke in class. By evening, he disappeared completely.
Tiana spent the whole night staring at her phone.
No message.
No call.
By the time there was a knock on her hostel door, it was almost midnight.
She opened it.
Dare was standing there.
His hair was messy. His hoodie was damp from the night air. He looked exhausted.
"Tare?"
"I need you to come with me."
They walked across the empty football field in silence.
The grass was wet. The sky above them was dark and endless.
Finally, Dare stopped.
"I am done," he said quietly.
Tiana looked at him.
"Done with what?"
"With all of it."
He laughed bitterly.
"With them telling me what to wear. Who to be. Who to love."
His voice broke slightly.
"I have spent my whole life being somebody else because it made everyone happy."
"Dare…"
"But I cannot do it anymore."
He turned to her then.
"I do not care what my parents want."
The words hit her like a heartbeat.
"I do not care what people say. I do not care who they picked for me."
He stepped closer.
"I choose you."
Tiana stared at him.
"You do not have to say that."
"Yes, I do."
He looked at her like he needed her to believe him.
"Because I keep acting like I can fix everything before I let you in. And all it does is hurt you."
His eyes were softer now.
"I am scared, Tiana."
That surprised her.
"Scared of what?"
"That one day you will decide this is too much and leave."
Tiana shook her head immediately.
"You do not get to make that choice for me."
"I know."
"Then let me stay."
For a second, Dare just looked at her.
Then he pulled her into his arms.
And held her so tightly it almost hurt.
"I love you," he whispered against her hair.
It was the first time he had ever said it.
Tiana closed her eyes.
"I love you too."
At that exact moment, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled away and looked down.
A message from his mother.
She is coming to the school tomorrow.
Dare's face darkened immediately.
"Tare?"
He looked up at her.
"She's here."