Hanna's POV
The silence after Elordi’s words was deafening. I couldn’t look at him, couldn’t bear to see the hurt in his eyes. Everything had gone so wrong. This wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out.
Elordi stood there, fists still clenched, breathing heavily like he was trying to calm the storm inside him.
My breath caught in my throat. Elordi had always been there, steady, reliable. And somewhere in the chaos of my feelings, I’d wanted him to notice, to see me. But now, hearing those words, they felt... hollow. Too late. I couldn’t pretend anymore.
“I waited,” Elordi continued, the bitterness in his voice cutting through the room. “But I guess I was too late.”
I opened my mouth to respond, to tell him how much I’d wanted this—how long I’d wanted him—but the words wouldn’t come. It wasn’t right anymore. He wasn’t what I wanted now.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Finn, standing awkwardly near the door, his hands shoved in his pockets. He looked uncomfortable, out of place, like he didn’t know if he should stay or leave. His jaw was still bruised from the punch Elordi had landed earlier, but there was something more in his eyes. He was watching me closely, like he was waiting for something.
Maybe he was waiting for me to say something. Maybe he thought I was about to get the happy ending I’d always wanted with Elordi. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly thinking about leaving us alone. “I’ll leave you two to talk,” Finn said, his voice quiet as he turned toward the door. “I’ve got a cake to blow out anyway.”
I panicked. “Finn, wait.”
He stopped, his hand halfway to the doorknob, and turned to look at me, confused.
I couldn’t let him leave. I couldn’t let this conversation end with Elordi thinking that everything between us was unfinished when it wasn’t. It had already finished.
“I need to tell you both the truth,” I said, my voice shaky but determined. My heart pounded as I glanced between them. “I... I wished for so long that Elordi would notice me, and for a while, that was all I cared about. But now... things are different.”
Elordi’s eyes narrowed. “Different how?”
I swallowed hard, meeting his gaze. “I’ve fallen for somebody else.”