Brent’s POV
The drive to campus felt endless, the road stretching out in front of me like it didn’t want to end. Betty’s reply to my message had been brief, her words vague but hopeful enough to push me to make the trip.
Let’s talk tomorrow.
I parked outside her dorm, sitting in the car for a moment longer than I needed to. The conversation I’d been replaying in my head for days now felt heavier, the weight of it settling squarely on my chest. I couldn’t keep going like this—not without clarity, not without knowing where we stood.
When I finally stepped inside the dorm’s common room, I found her sitting at a table near the window. Her sketchpad was open in front of her, but the pencil in her hand was still. She looked up when I approached, her expression guarded but soft.
“Hey,” I said, sliding into the chair across from her.
“Hey,” she replied, her voice quieter than usual.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The weight of everything we hadn’t said hung in the air between us, making the silence feel louder than it was.
“I miss you,” I said finally, the words spilling out before I could overthink them.
Her eyes dropped to her sketchpad, her fingers tightening around the pencil. “I miss you too, Brent.”
“Then why does it feel like you’re pulling away?” I asked, my voice quiet but firm.
She flinched at the question, her shoulders tensing. “I don’t know,” she admitted after a pause. Her voice was soft, almost fragile. “Everything feels… overwhelming. The team, the magazine, the showcase—it’s all too much.”
I reached across the table, my hand resting over hers. Her fingers trembled slightly beneath mine. “Betty, you don’t have to do this alone. I’m here for you. Always.”
Her lips trembled, her head nodding faintly. “I know. And I’m trying, Brent. I really am.”
“Then let me help,” I said softly, my thumb brushing against her knuckles. “You don’t have to carry all of this by yourself.”
Her eyes met mine, and for the first time in weeks, I saw a flicker of the Betty I knew. The girl who wasn’t just driven and ambitious, but who also let herself lean on others when she needed to. For a moment, it felt like we were back on solid ground.
asn’t just the message that felt dangerous—it was the part of me that wanted to say yes.