Chapter 4 – "The Space Between"
Emily had a hard time sitting still. She tried, really. But as the days went on, she couldn't stop her mind from drifting back to Riley. The way Riley's laughter seemed to cut through the noise of the cafeteria, the way she moved through the space with an ease Emily couldn't quite understand.
It had been nearly a week since they'd last spoken. Emily had avoided her—she'd told herself it was just easier that way. Dylan had kept up his friendly chatter, as always, but he'd stopped pressing her to go talk to Riley. His jokes were less frequent, and she could tell he was starting to notice how distant she'd become.
But none of that mattered when she found herself walking through the campus again on a quiet Thursday afternoon, a book clutched to her chest. She wasn't sure why she was heading in this direction—she didn't have a class nearby. But somehow, she ended up in the courtyard, a spot she'd walked through hundreds of times before.
And there she was.
Riley was sitting under a large oak tree, sketchpad balanced on her knees, eyes focused on the space in front of her, a soft breeze ruffling her hair. She didn't seem to notice Emily at first, but Emily couldn't take her eyes off her. The world felt like it had shrunk down to that moment, just the two of them in a little corner of the campus, everything else faded away.
Riley looked up then, her gaze locking with Emily's. For a moment, neither of them said anything. Emily felt her stomach twist—an odd mix of nerves and something else, something more complicated. Riley didn't look away. She just smiled, the same easy smile that had made Emily's heart race the first time they'd met.
"Hey," Riley called softly, her voice cutting through the still air. "Didn't expect to see you here."
Emily took a step forward, her heart hammering in her chest. She wasn't sure what to do. To go to her, or to turn around and walk away?
She felt the weight of the book in her hands, the familiar words on its pages offering her no comfort. It wasn't a moment for stories. It was a moment of something else—something raw.
"I… I didn't mean to interrupt," Emily muttered, her eyes falling to the ground, unsure of where to look. "I was just… passing through."
"Passing through?" Riley repeated, a playful glint in her eyes. "You sure that's what you're doing? Looks more like you're trying to avoid me."
Emily froze, her breath catching in her throat. She felt exposed, as though Riley had seen through her carefully constructed wall, the one she'd built to keep herself safe from whatever this feeling was. This feeling she didn't know how to name.
"I'm not… avoiding you," Emily said quickly, but it sounded weak even to her own ears. She could hear the lie in her voice.
Riley cocked her head, clearly not buying it. "Right," she said softly, her eyes flicking down to the sketchpad on her lap before looking back up at Emily. "Well, you're here now. You might as well sit down. I promise I don't bite."
Emily hesitated, her mind racing. She didn't want to sit down. She didn't want to open this door, didn't want to risk anything more. But her feet betrayed her. She found herself sitting down beside Riley before she could think better of it.
For a few moments, they just sat there in silence, Emily staring down at her hands, Riley sketching in her notebook.
Emily could hear the soft scratch of pencil against paper, a soothing sound in the otherwise quiet space.
"I… I like your drawings," Emily blurted out, surprising herself with the words.
Riley looked up, eyebrows raised, a smile tugging at her lips. "Thanks," she said, flipping her sketchbook closed. "I don't really show them to people. They're mostly just... for me."
Emily nodded, unsure of what to say next. The silence stretched between them like an invisible thread, delicate but undeniable. Her mind screamed at her to run, to leave before she said something stupid.
But then Riley spoke again, quieter this time.
"Is there something you're afraid of, Emily?"
Emily's heart skipped a beat. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. She didn't know how to explain it—didn't know how to explain the confusion, the pull she felt when she was near Riley, or the fear of what it meant.
"I'm not trying to push you," Riley added, her voice gentle. "But I can see it. I know what it's like to hide, to pretend everything's okay when it's not."
Emily glanced up at Riley, surprised by the openness in her tone. There was no judgment in her eyes, only understanding.
"I'm just… not ready," Emily finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. She didn't know if she was speaking to Riley or to herself. "I don't know what this is, what I'm feeling, but I can't…"
Riley nodded, as if she understood exactly what Emily was saying. "I get it. You don't have to figure it all out right now. But I want you to know… you don't have to do it alone."
Emily blinked, her eyes stinging with something she didn't want to acknowledge. The feeling that Riley might actually understand what she was going through was both terrifying and comforting at the same time.
For a moment, it was just the two of them, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air. Then Riley stood up, offering Emily a hand.
"I should probably get going," she said. "But if you ever want to talk, or... whatever, you know where to find me."
Emily hesitated, then nodded, taking the hand Riley offered. It felt warm and steady.
"I'll think about it," Emily said, her voice quieter than she intended.
And with that, Riley smiled one last time and walked away, leaving Emily to sit in the space between—unsure of what the next step would be, but knowing that, for the first time in a long while, she didn't feel completely alone.