Her name was Lena Hart.
Confident. Effortless. The kind of girl who didn't hesitate.
Maya met her through a mutual study group.
They clicked unexpectedly.
Lena was kind.
Open.
Warm.
Then one afternoon Lena said casually:
"Oh! You know Ethan Cole, right?"
Maya's stomach dropped.
"Yeah. We went to high school together."
Lena smiled.
"He's my boyfriend."
The world didn't end.
It tilted.
"He's really patient," Lena continued. "He doesn't chase what doesn't want him."
That sentence felt targeted.
Maya forced a smile.
"That's nice."
That night, she stared at Ethan's chat for twenty minutes before typing:
"So… you have a girlfriend?"
"Yeah," he replied. "I was going to tell you."
Going to.
Not did.
She didn't know why that hurt.