Nina The ache of Enzo’s ultimatum sat like a knot in my stomach, tightening every time I replayed our last conversation. It was as if a chasm had opened between us, one that neither of us knew how to bridge. We had spent the night on opposite sides of the bed, each of us too angry to move closer t
Maybe they were right. Maybe Enzo was right. But I still couldn’t be satisfied just yet, especially not after how he had left this morning. He had just walked out, telling me he was headed to campus, without even a kiss. The door had slammed in his wake, and I was left feeling even angrier than befo
Nina The air was crisp and cool, the perfect early summer evening, as I stepped onto the campus. Most of the students had left for the summer already aside from the few who remained during the off season, leaving the campus empty and quiet. But I didn’t mind. It was nice sometimes to feel like I h
Countless practices, games, and scrimmages had been spent running around like this, checking on injuries, and so I was prepared. But not for this. I slipped as I ran up to him, falling to my knees by his side. “Enzo! Are you okay?” He was pushing himself up when I reached him, his hand coming aw
Could it be that he was struggling just as much as I was all along but he was just too afraid to show it? I clenched my hands, my nails digging into the flesh of my palms. Why hadn’t I seen it before? Why had I assumed that I was the only one affected, the only one who needed support? As I stare
Nina The cool air and the quiet campus had always been a comfort to me. But even the cool evening breeze couldn’t lift the heaviness weighing down on me as I fled the hockey arena. I wasn’t even entirely sure why I was running, but I knew I had to. My feet carried me across the empty athletic fi
“But he needs me,” I shot back, sighing heavily. “He needs me, maybe more than he even realizes, and I’ve been totally blind to it.” The water of the stream suddenly blurred, distorted by the new flood of tears. I felt so overwhelmed, the weight of my ignorance pressing down on me like a thousand-
The server came over, a familiar face who greeted us with a forced smile. “The usual?” “Yeah,” Enzo responded, handing back the menus. She nodded and left us alone, with nothing but the tension that we had brought in with us. “I’ve been thinking,” I began, twirling a napkin in my hands. “About w