Doubt was a silent storm. It didn't arrive with thunder or lightning. It crept in slowly, unsettling the ground beneath them, making them question everything.
Akutu and Nathan both felt it.
But neither wanted to be the first to say it out loud.
Until one evening, when the silence became too heavy to ignore.
They sat under the dim glow of a streetlight near the library, their books untouched between them. It was supposed to be another study session, but the weight of unspoken thoughts had turned the air dense.
Nathan sighed. "Akutu, can I ask you something?"
She glanced at him, her fingers tracing patterns on her notebook. "Of course."
"Are we… making the right choice?"
The question hung between them.
Akutu inhaled deeply, feeling the tension that had been building for days. "I don't know," she admitted. "But I do know that I care about you. And I don't want to let fear ruin what we have."
Nathan studied her for a moment before nodding. "Me neither."
They sat in comfortable silence, letting the weight of their doubts settle.
Then, Nathan smiled—small, but real. "You know, we overthink too much."
Akutu chuckled. "Tell me about it."
"Maybe we don't have to figure everything out right now," he said. "Maybe we just… take it one step at a time."
Akutu looked at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes.
Maybe he was right.
Maybe love wasn't about knowing all the answers. Maybe it was about choosing each other, even when the path was uncertain.
She reached for his hand, lacing her fingers through his. "One step at a time, then."
Nathan squeezed her hand, his smile widening. "One step at a time."
And just like that, the doubts didn't feel so heavy anymore.
The pulleys of life had shifted once again.