CHAPTER 5- It’s Fine
They sat in the car for almost ten minutes without saying anything.
Daniel had parked somewhere quiet.
Amara looked out the window.
Daniel looked at her.
Neither knew who should speak first.
Finally, Daniel broke the silence.
“Why are you so far away from me?”
Amara looked at him.
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You’ve been different.”
“So have you.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you asking me?”
“Because I want to understand.”
She looked down at her hands.
“There isn’t anything to understand.”
“Amara.”
“What?”
“Please don’t say you’re fine.”
She laughed bitterly.
“Why?”
“Because you’re not.”
She looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“Because I’ve been watching you disappear.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I’ve been watching you disappear too.”
Daniel went quiet.
“Then why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because I didn’t want to look needy.”
“Needy?”
“Yes.”
“You’re my girlfriend. How is telling me how you feel needy?”
“I don’t know.”
She wiped her eyes.
“I just didn’t want to be the girl begging her boyfriend to love her.”
Daniel shook his head.
“You were never begging.”
“It felt like it.”
“Why?”
She took a breath.
“Because you changed.”
He looked at her.
“How?”
“Your messages.”
He almost smiled.
“Your messages?”
“You stopped calling.”
“I was busy.”
“You stopped asking about my day.”
“I was stressed.”
“You stopped sounding excited to talk to me.”
“I was tired.”
She stared at him.
“Do you see what you’re doing?”
“What?”
“You have an explanation for everything.”
“Because there is an explanation.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Daniel went quiet.
He didn’t have an answer.
After a while, he finally spoke.
“I’ve been struggling.”
Amara looked at him.
“With what?”
“Work.”
He told her everything.
The pressure.
The mistakes.
The money worries.
The fear that he wasn’t progressing quickly enough.
The responsibility of trying to become someone he could be proud of.
“I didn’t want to bring all of that to you,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because I thought you’d worry.”
“I would have.”
“Exactly.”
She shook her head.
“Daniel, worrying about you isn’t a burden.”
“I know that now.”
She looked away.
“I thought you were getting tired of me.”
Daniel stared at her.
“What?”
“I thought you were slowly losing interest.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because of everything.”
He shook his head.
“I wasn’t.”
She looked at him.
“I swear I wasn’t.”
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“Then why didn’t you just say that?”
“I don’t know.”
She laughed through her tears.
“I don’t know either.”
They sat quietly.
Then Daniel asked:
“Do you still love me?”
She looked at him.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He nodded.
“I love you too.”
“I know.”
“No, I don’t think you do.”
She smiled sadly.
“Maybe I don’t.”
He reached for her hand.
She let him.
“I don’t want us to keep doing this,” he said.
“Neither do I.”
“We have to talk.”
“We do.”
“Even when it’s uncomfortable.”
She nodded.
“Especially when it’s uncomfortable.”
That evening, they stayed together for a while.
They didn’t magically fix everything.
They didn’t promise that they would never argue again.
Instead, they talked.
About what they needed.
About what hurt them.
About the things they were afraid to say.
Amara admitted that she sometimes expected Daniel to know what she needed without her asking.
Daniel admitted that he sometimes withdrew when life became difficult.
Neither of them was innocent.
Neither was the villain.
They were just two people trying to love each other while carrying their own fears.
Before Amara left, Daniel looked at her.
“I need you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“If you’re hurt, tell me.”
She nodded.
“You too.”
“I promise.”
“And no more ‘I’m fine’ when you’re clearly not.”
She laughed.
“I can’t promise that completely.”
“Amara.”
“Okay, okay.”
She smiled.
“I’ll try.”
He smiled back.
It wasn’t a perfect ending.
But it was a beginning.
That night, Amara lay in bed thinking about their conversation.
For the first time, she realized something.
She had spent so much time being afraid of losing Daniel that she had forgotten to actually let him know what she needed.
Maybe love wasn’t about never being scared.
Maybe it was about being brave enough to speak while you were scared.
She closed her eyes.
Her phone buzzed.
Daniel.
Goodnight, beautiful.
She smiled.
Then replied:
Goodnight. ❤️
This time, the heart stayed……