unnoticed feelings

The night was quiet, save for the distant hum of passing cars and the occasional rustling of leaves in the breeze. Liam walked briskly down the empty street, his breath coming out in small, visible puffs. The message from Emily had been vague—just a simple "Can we talk?" followed by an address near the park. But something about it had unsettled him.

As he approached the dimly lit street corner, he spotted her standing beneath the streetlamp, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if bracing against the cold. The warm glow of the lamp cast a soft halo around her, but her expression was anything but angelic—her brows were furrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Liam swallowed, stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets. "Hey," he said carefully.

Emily looked up, her gaze unreadable. "Hey."

There was a moment of silence between them, thick with unspoken words. Liam shifted uncomfortably, trying to gauge her mood.

"You okay?" he finally asked.

She let out a humorless laugh, shaking her head. "Not really."

That one admission was enough to make Liam's chest tighten. He took a cautious step forward. "What happened?"

Emily hesitated, staring down at her shoes before finally meeting his eyes. "That night at the park… when I almost told you something before my phone rang?"

Liam nodded, remembering vividly how she had looked torn, as if on the verge of revealing something important before abruptly shutting down.

Emily sighed, hugging herself tighter. "It was my ex."

Liam felt a pang in his chest, but he forced himself to stay neutral. "What did he want?"

She hesitated before answering. "He said he missed me. That he made a mistake. That maybe we could fix things."

Liam's jaw tightened. He could already imagine the words her ex had used, the carefully crafted apologies, the subtle manipulations.

Emily glanced at him, gauging his reaction. "I told him no," she said quietly.

Liam's breath hitched. "You did?"

She nodded, her fingers tightening around the sleeves of her hoodie. "I told him I wasn't interested in going back to something that already broke once."

Liam exhaled slowly. "That's… good."

Emily let out a bitter chuckle. "Yeah, you'd think so. But it made me realize something."

Liam watched her, waiting.

She hesitated before finally saying, "I didn't say no just because I wanted to move on. I said no because… because of you."

His heart pounded.

Emily looked away, as if afraid to see his reaction. "I didn't realize it at first, but when I thought about getting back with him, all I could think about was… how much I didn't want to lose what I have with you."

Liam swallowed hard. "Emily—"

"But I'm scared, Liam," she interrupted, her voice barely above a whisper. "What if we try and it doesn't work? What if we ruin everything?"

Liam took a step closer, closing the distance between them. "And what if we don't?"

She looked up at him, her eyes searching his face, as if trying to find an answer to a question she didn't even know how to ask.

"I don't want to mess this up," she admitted.

Liam reached out, hesitating for just a second before gently taking her hand in his. "Then we take it slow," he said.

Emily let out a shaky breath. "Slow?"

He nodded. "No pressure. No expectations. Just… us, figuring things out."

A small, unsure smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She didn't say yes.

But she didn't say no, either.

And for now, that was enough.

---

Later That Night

Liam lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying the conversation over and over in his head.

Emily had practically admitted she had feelings for him. That was something he never would have expected months ago. But there was still hesitation in her voice, in the way she looked at him like she was waiting for something to go wrong.

He wanted to reassure her that they wouldn't mess this up.

But deep down, he knew there were no guarantees.

Still, for the first time in a long time, Liam felt like he wasn't chasing something that was always out of reach.

For once, something real was right in front of him.

And he was willing to take the risk.

---

The Next Day

Liam walked into school with his usual routine—hoodie up, headphones in, pretending not to care about the world around him. But things felt… different.

He spotted Emily at her locker, her hair tucked behind her ear as she rummaged through her books. Their eyes met briefly, and for a second, something unspoken passed between them.

Liam gave her a small nod.

She smiled, subtle but real.

Naomi, who had been standing a few lockers down, caught the exchange and raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting," she mused, walking up to Liam.

Liam pulled out an earbud. "What's interesting?"

"You and Emily," Naomi said, crossing her arms. "I don't think I've ever seen you two look at each other like that before."

Liam shrugged. "We're just… figuring things out."

Naomi smirked. "Right. Figuring things out."

There was something in her tone that made Liam narrow his eyes.

"Do you have a problem with that?" he asked.

Naomi laughed, shaking her head. "No, actually. I think it's kind of cute."

Liam rolled his eyes but couldn't help the small grin tugging at his lips.

"Just be careful," Naomi added after a beat.

Liam frowned. "What do you mean?"

Naomi sighed. "Emily's been through a lot. And you… you don't exactly have the best track record of keeping things simple."

Liam scoffed. "Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

Naomi gave him a knowing look. "I'm just saying—if you really care about her, don't mess this up."

Liam didn't need to be told twice.

He already knew that whatever was happening between him and Emily—it mattered.

And he wasn't going to let it slip away.

---

That Evening

Liam and Emily walked home together, their steps slow, unhurried.

Neither of them talked much, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was the kind of silence that didn't need to be filled with meaningless words.

At Emily's doorstep, she turned to him, shifting on her feet.

"Thanks for walking me home," she said.

Liam smirked. "Like I haven't been doing that for months now?"

She laughed, and it was the most natural sound in the world.

Then, before she could overthink it, she reached up and kissed his cheek.

It was quick. Barely more than a second. But it was enough to send Liam's brain into a full shutdown.

Emily pulled back, cheeks flushed. "Goodnight, Liam."

Liam blinked, struggling to form words. "G-Goodnight."

She stepped inside, closing the door softly behind her.

Liam stood there for a long moment, touching his cheek, feeling the lingering warmth of her lips.

A slow smile spread across his face.

Maybe—just maybe—things were finally falling into place.