.❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。
—𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍, 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀

—𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲

Arabella wanted to escape the problem but it seemed like the problem had just followed her.

"You've got to be kidding me," Arabella quietly murmured under her breath as she saw the person she least wanted to see approaching her.

With everyone that was going on, the last thing that could ever provide her calm is him.

"Not here for you," Drew responded, his tone casual as he took out a pack of cigarettes and waved them in her face. "Just for a smoke."

"Can you smoke a few feet away from me?" Arabella groaned, grimacing as she crossed her arms, emphasizing her annoyance.

Drew didn't respond to Arabella's request, nor did he step away from her. Instead, he stood there, lighting his cigarette and placing it in his mouth, the glow of the flame casting a flickering light on his face.

Arabella took it upon herself to take a step away from Drew, which made Drew scoff a laugh.

For some odd reason, there was a comfortable silence between the two. The only sounds were the occasional cars beeping in the distance due to the city of Charleston around them. There was also the soft sounds of Drew's breaths as he took a drag from his cigarette. Arabella found herself strangely calmed by the quiet.

"Why are you out here?"

It was a nice silence. Until Drew decided to break it.

Too exhausted to engage in banter, Arabella simply replied, "Just wanted to get away from it all."

Drew chuckled, "You've always had a tendency to run away from things," he remarked.

Arabella clenched her jaw, a silent effort to keep her mouth shut. She remained quiet, not wanting to say anything that she would regret in the heat of the moment.

Drew started to speak again, "you've also always liked to stay quiet—"

"What is your problem?" Arabella loudly interrupted him.

Startled by the Arabella's sudden reaction, Drew furrowed his eyebrows, then his lips twisted into a smirk.

"You're girlfriend won't like it that you're here with me," Arabella pointed out, her tone laced with annoyance. "Bye." She started with a dismissive wave of her hand, she started making a shooing motion, indicating that Drew should go inside.

"So I was right?" Drew retorted, not bothering to listen to Arabella's request. The blank that had been on his face faded, replaced by a blank expression that Arabella had come to recognize.

It was as if all of the light from his eyes were gone.

She pressed her lips into a thin line, trying her best to suppress a groan, before turning around to face Drew. "What are you saying?"

"I was right," Drew chuckled softly, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, throwing it on the ground and crushing it with his foot. "It was always going to be him."

This took Arabella by surprise. She hadn't expected Drew to talk to her, let alone bring up Noah. His words caught her off guard, she didn't expect him to say Noah's name. It would feel strange, almost foreign, coming from his mouth. She realized she hadn't heard him say it since graduation night, and the memories flooded back.

Arabella's brows furrowed. "I'm confused." Was all Arabella could muster out.

Drew let out a laugh, but it wasn't one of joy—it was a pained, bitter laugh. "That night."

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about," Arabella said, her irritation growing as she turned to completely face Drew.

"Don't act all dumb on me," Drew said, half-chuckling but with an edge that made Arabella shift in uneasiness. "You went there, right? Or did you find a better option?"

"I seriously don't know what you're saying!" Arabella snapped, her annoyance getting the best of her. Guess the whole 'keeping her mouth shut' thing won't work out after all since Drew's comments had officially pushed her over the edge.

"So if you could please stop making unnecessary, stupid comments as if you're trying to hint at something, that would be great," she added, her tone sharp with frustration. She knew she was being harsh, but she couldn't help it. Arabella was tired of playing games.

"That night," Drew stated calmly, his tone too composed for Arabella's liking. He looked at her, but then his gaze shifted away. "I came to your house, and I heard what Noah said."

Arabella was deeply confused at this point. What night was he talking about, and why did it matter now? "Huh?"

Drew huffed and stood up from the wall, straightening his posture. Despite Arabella being tall, Drew's presence made her feel small, like a gnome in comparison.

"Are you actually this clueless." Drew grumbled before beginning, "That night, a week before we were suppose to leave for college...I came to see you and I saw Noah there and I heard him say we wouldn't work." Drew began, his frustration growing. He ran his hands through his buzzed hair. "You didn't deny it, you didn't tell him to go—fuck, you didn't do shit!"

Arabella felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of her lungs. It was like her heart seemed to stop pumping blood to her brain. In that moment, she wished it had. She wished she could just crumble up and die.

Her chest tightened, and a wave of nausea washed over her.

Is this why it ended?

"I did," Arabella spoke softly, her voice trembling despite her efforts to hide it. "I did say something."

"Bullshit!"

"Drew, my dad... my dad," Arabella's voice wavered as she spoke, her eyes flickering shut momentarily as she gulped. She reopened them to find Drew staring at her intensely. "I heard my dad come downstairs so I had to take Noah to the backyard," she continued, the words spilling out. Arabella could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "That's why you didn't hear the way I told him to leave us and our relationship alone."

Arabella watched as Drew's expression changed, his face visibly falling. He took a step back, steadying himself as if he was physically recoiling from the news.

"Don't...don't fucking lie to me," Drew mumbled, his voice barely audible, shaking his head slightly as if trying to process the words. His gaze drilled into Arabella's.

Arabella swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. The stress of the situation making it difficult to maintain her composure. She blinked rapidly, hoping to keep the tears at bay as she struggled to find the right words.

"So that's why you cut me off," Arabella muttered in realization, her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes flickered to the ground.

A flicker of pain crossed Drew's face, his features tightening briefly before he schooled his expression back to normal.

"I thought you knew." Drew spoke, voice faltering.

Arabella could feel her heart thumping loudly in her chest, the sound echoing in her ears. All the blood rushed to her head, making her feel lightheaded, her thoughts scattered and fuzzy. She struggled to maintain her composure, her hands trembling slightly at her sides.

"I thought you knew," Drew spoke again, frustration creeping into his voice. "Fuck!"

She reached out a hand, wanting to comfort him, but hesitated, unsure if he would welcome her touch.

"Drew." Arabella whispered softly, trying to calm him down but it wasn't like she could help either. At this point, she let a tear fall.

"Please tell me you're lying." Drew stopped pacing for a moment to face her.

Arabella stayed silent, giving Drew his answer. Drew's face fell once more, his expression crumbling. He pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes, then ran them through his hair in frustration.

She couldn't tell in the moment but Arabella was pretty sure she saw a single tear get caught up in the corner of his eye, glistening in the lights overhead.

Before Arabella could stop herself, she stepped forward and wrapped Drew in a tight hug.

Arabella had only seen Drew cry once before, but when he did, she knew exactly how to comfort him.

Drew didn't hesitate as he wrapped his large arms around her, pulling her close.

Arabella, her face streaked with tears and most likely mascara, finally broke the heavy silence that enveloped them. "I don't think your girlfriend would appreciate finding you out here with me—"

"Don't," he warned, face still buried in her shoulder.

"No," Arabella insisted, shaking her head as she pulled back from the hug. "We can't do this."

Drew sucked in a breath, frustration evident on his face. Arabella's decision disappointed him, but he knew she was right. They couldn't do this, not while they were both in relationships.

"I know," Drew mumbled, his hand running back and forth through his buzzed hair.

The two stood in silence. It wasn't that they were at a loss for words; it was more that the things they wanted to say were not what they wanted to hear.

"What's gonna happen now?" Drew questioned warily, breaking the silence.

Arabella swallowed hard, shaking her head to emphasize that she didn't know what was in store for them. Her eyes were downcast, avoiding Drew's gaze because she couldn't offer Drew the reassurance that he needed.

"Say something," Drew choked out, taking a step closer to Arabella.

Arabella took a step back as Drew came closer.

Drew winced at her step back. He stood still, watching Arabella attentively, waiting for her to speak, to give him some kind of response.

"It's complicated—"

"It doesn't have to be!" Drew argued in frustration, his voice rising slightly.

Arabella took a deep breath, her voice calm but firm. "You should go inside, Drew."

He looked at Arabella for a moment, his expression pained as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"It's been seven years, we grew up. Don't you think that us ending was a sign?" Arabella spoke, as much as it pained her to say it. She said what they were both scared of saying.

"Don't you think we found our way back to each other for a reason?"

Arabella was shocked as Drew's boldness, but she maintained her ground. "It's  just a coincidence."

"Nothing is a coincidence, Ara." Drew persisted. The use of her nickname sent shivers down Arabella's spine. "Remember you would always say that everything happened for a reason."

"I was young, I didn't know what I was talking about."

Drew pressed his lips into a straight line. "Your whole college essay was about it. The same college essay that got you into Duke. I think you know what you're talking about."

Arabella was about to respond, but her phone suddenly started ringing. The contact photo displayed on the screen was enough to tell her who was calling.

Drew's jaw ticked as he saw the name 'Noah' with a heart next to it, and a picture of him displayed on Arabella's phone.

"I grew up, Drew," Arabella added. She reached for her phone, but before answering, she looked directly at him. "I suggest you should too, especially with your girlfriend sitting in the club."

"Ara—"

"Maybe we can be friends, but right now, it just can't happen."

Those were the last words she said before Arabella left to pick up her phone.

Leaving Drew all by himself.

©𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞