We did have sex.
Not the lazy, soft kind either. No, she pushed until my legs gave out. And when I collapsed on the bed, she just laughed—this mischievous, almost triumphant laugh—kissed , and curled up on top of like she was claiming victory. That’s how she fell asleep. On . For most of the night.
And ? I didn’t mind one bit.
But that was Monday.
Today was Tuesday.
She’d left early, before the sun had even fully stretched itself across the sky. Said her dad wanted her to stop by, sothing about preparing docunts or getting a head start on things she might need for her program. Whatever it was, it tugged her away, and I didn’t argue.
Which left alone with my thoughts.
And the thing about thoughts? When they pile up too much, they get heavy. Too heavy.
So I went to see Trent. I needed advice. Or maybe I just needed a distraction from the ss in my head. Could’ve been both.
His house looked quiet when I walked up. I pressed the bell once. Waited. Then again.
The door cracked open, and there was Marina.
She had the kind of look you only see when soone wasn’t planning on facing the outside world—sleepy eyes, a loose shirt too big to be hers, and this guilty little expression, like I’d just caught her red-handed sneaking cookies before dinner.
"Hey," I said.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, blinking at like I’d committed so cri. Then, with a little squint: "In Brookfield, of all places."
"Here to see my friend," I said.
} "You should’ve called first."
"I did call."
Her brows knit together. "Really? I didn’t see anything."
I smirked, leaning a little against the doorway. "I wasn’t calling you."
Her mouth ford a small "oh." And then, with perfect Marina flair, she placed a hand over her chest. "Ouch. That hurt more than I thought it would."
I laughed. "Don’t be dramatic."
"I’m not being dramatic," she said, stepping aside so I could co in. "I’m being deeply wounded."
I chuckled again, shaking my head as I slipped past her into the living room.
From the kitchen, a voice called out, "Who’s at the door, babe?"
Trent appeared a second later, glass of water in hand.
"Kai," he said, his mouth curving into a small grin.
"Hey, bud."
He put the glass aside, brushed his hand on his jeans, and ca over. We shook hands, firm but easy—the kind of shake that grows out of countless talks and dumb argunts that sohow made us closer.
"So," Trent said, glancing at with that straight-to-business tone he had. "What’s wrong?"
I opened my mouth but caught Marina rolling her eyes dramatically.
"Oh wow," she said, arms folding. "So now I’m just... what? Background noise? A distraction? That’s new."
Trent glanced at her like he wasn’t sure if he should step in.
"C’mon, Marina," I said, grinning. "You know it’s not like that."
"Oh, I know," she said, tilting her head with mock offense. "It’s just funny. Normally, I was the one you ca to with your rants. Now it’s Trent. Guess my boyfriend stole my best friend."
"You’re not losing ," I said quickly. "Besides, I don’t exactly crash your girl talks with Val, do I?"
} "That’s different."
"How?" I challenged, grinning.
"Because those are productive conversations," she said with a perfectly serious face.
Trent snorted into his sleeve.
"Productive?" I repeated. "Last I checked, productive isn’t the sa as complaining about how slow the cafeteria line was."
"That was one ti," she said, glaring.
"Sure," I muttered.
She pointed at . "Don’t test , Kai."
Trent slid on his jacket, still chuckling, then leaned down and kissed her. Marina didn’t exactly kiss back; she sort of frowned through it, like she was annoyed but not enough to stop him.
"I’ll bring him back in one piece," Trent said.
"You’d better," Marina muttered, but I could see the smile tugging at her lips as she turned away.
A mont later, Trent and I stepped out into the cool afternoon air. We walked toward his car, and I could already feel the words pressing against my chest, waiting to spill.
He opened the driver’s side. I slid into the passenger seat.
The engine started, and we pulled away from the curb, the quiet settling thick between us.
I stared out the window for a long mont before finally saying, "I don’t even know where to start."
"Start anywhere," Trent said, eyes fixed on the road. "We’ve got ti."
And just like that, the floodgates in my head started rattling.
---
For a while, we didn’t say anything. He drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the gear shift, eyes fixed on the road like he was in so kind of comrcial.
? I was chewing on my thoughts, trying to line them up into sothing that didn’t sound pathetic when I said them out loud.
Finally, Trent glanced at , his mouth twitching. "You look like you’re about to confess to murder, man. What’s up?"
I huffed a laugh, but it sounded weak. "It’s not murder. Just... sothing."
"’Sothing,’ huh?" He flicked his eyes back to the road. "Well, glad you dragged out here to be your emotional trash can. Go on. Spill."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "It’s Val."
Trent snorted. "Shocker. I never would’ve guessed."
I shot him a look, but he just grinned. "Sorry, sorry. Continue."
I took a breath. "She’s... leaving."
His brow furrowed. "Leaving?"
"For her masters." The words ca out flatter than I ant them to. "Her dad wants her to go. London. Top business program."
Trent let out a low whistle. "Damn. That’s big."
"Yeah." I stared out the window at the blur of streetlights. "It’s... great. For her. I an, she deserves it. She’s always been that girl, you know? The one who can take on the world and actually win. But..."
"But you’re freaking out," he finished for .
"Pretty much."
He didn’t say anything at first. Just drumd his fingers against the steering wheel, eyes still on the road. Then: "Okay. Let’s break this down. What exactly are you afraid of?"
I laughed under my breath. "Where do I even start?"
] "Start anywhere."
I leaned my head back against the seat, staring at the ceiling. "She’ll be far. Really far. An entire ocean between us. No late-night study sessions, no random drives, no... waking up to her climbing on top of just because she’s bored."
Trent made a face. "Thanks for the ntal image."
"You asked."
"Yeah, yeah." He waved a hand. "Keep going."
I hesitated, then sighed. "She’s... Val. You know how she is. Bratty. Chaotic. The type to drag into the middle of trouble just to see if I’ll survive it."
He chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
"But then she’s also—" I stopped, searching for the right words. "She’s soft. If you get close enough, past all the noise, she’s got this... side. She’s dostic, she cooks like a chef. Literally chef-level. Cleans up after without complaining, even though she pretends to complain. Takes care of when I don’t even realize I need it."
Trent raised his brows but didn’t interrupt.
"She’s the best partner I could ask for," I admitted. My chest tightened as I said it out loud. "And that’s the problem. She’s... everything. The kind of girl guys would kill for."
Trent finally glanced over, eyes narrowing a little. "So what, you’re scared she’s gonna find soone else?"
I shifted in my seat. "Not exactly. I trust her."
"You sure?" he asked, cutting in quick.
"Yes." The answer ca without hesitation. "I trust her. It’s not her I don’t trust."
"Ah," he said slowly. "It’s the rest of the world you don’t trust."
"Exactly."
He nodded, like that made sense. "Look, man, I get it. Val’s... well, Val. She walks into a room and the temperature changes. People notice. But let ask you this—do you really think so random European dude stands a chance against you?"
I gave him a look. "You sound way too confident."
He grinned. "Because I am. I’ve seen you two. Hell, half the ti you don’t even notice anyone else exists when she’s around. And she’s the sa. You’re it for her, Kai. Period."
I wanted to believe that. God, I did.
"But..." My voice dropped. "Things change. Distance changes things. What if she realizes she doesn’t need ? What if she realizes she could do better?"
Trent let out a sharp laugh. "Better? Better than the guy who puts up with her chaos and calls it love? Who sohow manages to match her crazy and keep her grounded at the sa ti? Nah, man. That’s not happening."
I looked at him, skeptical.
He shrugged. "Look, I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy. Long distance sucks. But if anyone can make it work, it’s you two. You’ve already been through four years of college without killing each other. That’s basically training."
I cracked a small smile. "That’s your pep talk?"
"Pretty much." He smirked. "What, you wanted to pull out a PowerPoint presentation?"
"Wouldn’t hurt."
] "Too bad. This is all you get."
We both laughed, the tension easing for a mont. But underneath, the worry still gnawed at .
Trent must’ve seen it on my face, because his voice softened. "Kai. Seriously. Do you trust her?"
"Yes," I said again, quieter this ti.
] "Then that’s all that matters. The rest... you’ll figure it out."
I stared out the window, the city lights fading as we drove further out. His words were solid, reasonable. Exactly what I needed to hear.
We pulled over at a lookout spot, the city spread out below us in a ss of lights. Trent killed the engine, and the silence settled in.
I let the quiet settle, breathing in the cool night air. My voice ca out steady, lower than before. "Thanks, man."
] "Anyti."
We sat there for a while, no words, just the hum of the city in the distance.
And in my head, I kept repeating Trent’s question. Do you trust her?
I did. More than anyone. More than anything.
So why did it still feel like the ground was shifting under my feet?
As much as I wanted to believe Trent, the truth pressed heavier in my chest.
This wasn’t going to be easy.
And even though I told myself it wouldn’t be that hard—deep down, I didn’t believe it.
Not for a second.
---
To be continued...
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