- 6 -

                                    

                                          
I was halfway through packing my bags for New York when the soft creak of the bedroom door broke the silence. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Elizabeth. The past few weeks had been filled with tension, and now she was here, probably to talk—or at least attempt to. I kept my back to her, focusing on folding a sweater, pretending not to notice her presence.
"Hey," she said quietly, almost hesitantly.
I stayed silent for a second, stuffing the sweater into my suitcase before glancing up. "Hey," I muttered back.
She smiled shyly and shifted on her feet. "You're, uh, heading to New York this weekend?"
I nodded. "Yeah, the twins have a shoot. They invited me along." I sounded casual, like it wasn't a big deal, but I couldn't shake the feeling that she was fishing for something.
"That's cool," she said, taking a step inside the room. "You've been spending a lot of time with them lately."
I nodded again, my fingers tracing the edge of my suitcase. "Yeah, they've been helping me out with photography. It's been fun."
The awkward silence stretched between us. This wasn't how it used to be. We never had to fill the space with meaningless small talk before. But now, it was like there was this invisible wall between us—one that had been growing bigger and bigger every day.
Elizabeth cleared her throat, breaking the silence again. "So... how have you been?"
I shrugged, my tone clipped. "Fine."
She frowned, clearly not satisfied with my short answer. "Are you sure? You've been kind of distant... Are you mad at me or something?"
I let out a hollow laugh, shaking my head. "Mad? No, Lizzie, I'm not mad."
But I was. I was furious. Hurt. Confused. But I didn't want to say any of that. I couldn't. Instead, I zipped my suitcase and placed it on the floor with a loud, satisfying sound, hoping it would end the conversation.
Elizabeth wasn't ready to drop it, though. "Y/N, seriously. It feels like you've been avoiding me."
I clenched my jaw and turned to face her, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "I'm not avoiding you, Lizzie. You're just... never around. I can't avoid you if I don't see you!" My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I couldn't help it.
Her frown deepened, and she stepped closer. "What are you talking about? I've been busy, but—"
"You've been busy with Jacob and your new friends," I cut her off, my voice rising. "And I've just been... here. Alone."
Elizabeth's face twisted in confusion, and then in frustration. "So what? You've been with the twins. It's not like you've been sitting around doing nothing."
I scoffed, shaking my head. "Yeah, because at least they noticed I was around! At least they cared enough to ask how I was doing. You've been too caught up in your own life to even realize I've been here this whole time, waiting for you to remember me."
"That's not fair, Y/N!" Elizabeth shot back, her own voice rising now. "I'm allowed to have other friends! I'm allowed to have a life outside of you!"
"I never said you weren't!" I snapped, stepping closer to her. "But you completely ditched me, Lizzie. You didn't even care to check in or ask if I was okay!"
Her eyes flashed with anger, her cheeks flushing red. "So this is about Jacob and my friends? You're just jealous because I'm spending time with him."
I felt the words hit me like a punch to the gut, but I refused to back down. "This isn't about Jacob," I lied, my voice strained. "This is about you forgetting I exist."
Elizabeth crossed her arms tightly, her eyes narrowing. "You're ridiculous, Y/N."
"And you're selfish," I shot back, my heart racing.
The room felt like it was closing in around us, the air thick with frustration and unspoken feelings. We stood there, both breathing hard, glaring at each other, waiting for the other to say something—anything.
Then, without warning, Elizabeth took a step forward, her face twisted in frustration. "You know what? Fine. If you're so mad at me, just say it!" she yelled, her voice shaking with anger.
"I already did!" I yelled back, my voice just as heated. "You don't care about me anymore!"
That was when everything shifted.
Elizabeth's eyes darkened, and in a swift, unexpected motion, she grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me toward her. Before I could even process what was happening, her lips were on mine,fierce, desperate, and raw.
For a split second, I froze, my mind racing, trying to make sense of what was happening. But then, everything clicked into place. All the anger, all the tension between us, it was like it had been building to this moment. I kissed her back, just as fiercely, my hands gripping her shoulders as if holding on for dear life.
It wasn't a soft or sweet kiss. It was messy, chaotic, filled with all the frustration we'd been holding in for weeks. It felt like a release, like we were finally acknowledging everything we'd been too scared to say out loud.
When we finally pulled apart, both of us were breathing hard, our faces inches away from each other. I could see the confusion and shock in Elizabeth's eyes, and I knew mine mirrored hers.
We stood there in silence for what felt like forever, neither of us knowing what to say. The only sound in the room was our ragged breathing and the faint hum of the air conditioner.
Elizabeth was the first to speak, her voice barely above a whisper. "I... I didn't mean to..."
I swallowed hard, my heart still racing. "Neither did I."
And just like that, the room fell silent again, the weight of what had just happened hanging heavy between us. Neither of us moved, both of us too scared to say anything more, knowing that whatever came next would change everything.