Blair woke up earlier than usual.
The sky was still pale, last night’s rain leaving a cold scent that slipped through the gaps of the window.
She sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, staring at the floor, trying to recall the dream that had just faded.
There were no clear images, only a lingering sense of unease.
In the small apartment kitchen, Kattie was already awake.
Her hair was loosely tied, wearing an oversized sweater, pouring cereal into a bowl.
“You don’t usually wake up this early,” Kattie said without looking back.
Blair grabbed a glass and filled it with water.
“Just woke up.”
Kattie glanced at her briefly.
A short look, but long enough to read something.
They ate in a silence that wasn’t entirely comfortable.
Mornings were usually filled with light conversation.
Today, they weren’t.
“It rained for a long time yesterday,” Kattie said at last.
“Yeah.”
“And you came home pretty late.”
Blair nodded, not meeting Kattie’s eyes right away.
Kattie put her spoon down.
“I don’t want to pry.
But I know you.”
Blair took a slow breath.
“I ran into someone.”
“From the past?” Kattie asked, her voice flat, not judgmental.
“Yes.”
Kattie didn’t look surprised.
That was what made Blair want to keep talking.
“It’s strange,” Blair continued.
“I don’t want to go back to that time. New chapters come out on g.com first.
But talking to him reminded me… that I used to be someone who was deeply known.”
Kattie leaned back in her chair.
“And now you feel like you’ve lost that?”
“Not lost,” Blair shook her head.
“More like… I miss the version of myself who didn’t overthink everything.”
Kattie nodded slowly.
“And Pablo?”
The name came out naturally.
Without emphasis.
But the effect was immediate.
Blair stared at the table.
“He doesn’t demand anything.”
“That’s exactly why you can’t stop thinking about it,” Kattie replied gently.
Blair didn’t deny it.
On campus, Blair walked through the faculty corridor more slowly than usual.
She saw Pablo from a distance, walking with a few classmates from his department.
He laughed softly, but his expression was different.
More closed off.
They didn’t greet each other.
Not because they were angry.
Not because it was awkward.
But because the distance between them had been silently agreed upon.
Blair sat on a bench outside the building, opening her book, though her eyes weren’t really reading.
She realized there were two versions of herself pulling in opposite directions.
The version that wanted safety.
The version that wanted honesty.
That afternoon, Blair stopped by Brunne’s bookstore.
Just for a moment, she told herself.
Brunne was arranging secondhand books on the front shelf. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
“You’ve been coming here more often lately,” Brunne said.
“This place is quiet,” Blair replied.
“Quiet is usually sought by people whose minds are noisy.”
Blair gave a faint smile.
“If someone is faced with two choices that both feel right, which one should they choose?”
Brunne paused.
“The one that lets you sleep without feeling like you’ve betrayed yourself.”
The answer stayed with Blair until nightfall.
At the apartment, Blair sat alone in the living room.
Kattie had already gone to her room.
Blair’s phone lay on the table.
There was no message from Pablo.
There was one from Carlo, still unopened since yesterday.
Blair stared at the screen for a long moment.
Her finger hovered over the notification, then pulled back.
She opened her chat with Pablo, staring at their last conversation.
Short.
Undramatic.
She realized something that made her chest tighten.
Pablo gave space not because he didn’t care.
Carlo appeared not because he wanted to return.
And Blair was in the middle, not because she was forced to be, but because she hadn’t yet dared to choose.
She put the phone down, leaned back against the sofa, and closed her eyes.
Sometimes, conflict isn’t about who’s right or wrong.
It’s about having the courage to admit which version of yourself you want to protect.
And that night, Blair knew one thing:
her time of neutrality wouldn’t last long.