Cracks Appear
Days passed, but Ethan couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had settled inside him. Every time he saw Clara, something stirred—a strange mixture of admiration and something far more complicated. She was different with him, too—more attentive in moments when Mark wasn't around, a subtle softness in her eyes that made Ethan's heart race with confusion.
They began spending more time together, mostly in small, innocent ways. A quick coffee after work, a shared laugh over a forgotten joke, stolen glances that neither dared to fully acknowledge. Ethan told himself it was harmless. After all, Clara was Mark's girlfriend—nothing would ever cross that line.
But the cracks were already forming.
One evening, as the three gathered at Mark's apartment for their usual game night, Ethan noticed how Clara's smile seemed more strained, her laughter less spontaneous. Mark was distracted, preoccupied with work stress, leaving a quiet tension in the air that no one dared to address.
Later, when Mark stepped away to take a call, Clara lingered near Ethan, her voice low and hesitant.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Ethan nodded, but the question felt heavier than usual.
"I don't know," she admitted. "Things haven't felt right for a while."
There it was—the unspoken fracture in their trio. And Ethan realized, with a sinking heart, that nothing between them would ever be the same.