The buzz of her phone in her hand seemed to echo in the empty library. Diane stared at Aaron’s message, her pulse quickening. It wasn’t the first time she’d received a message from him since the accident—since everything had happened—but something about this one felt different. His words were not demanding, not accusing. They were vulnerable. He was reaching out, asking for something she wasn’t sure she could give.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t keep pretending I don’t care about you. I know you’re trying to push me away, but I just want to talk. Please, Diane. Let me in.”
Her heart twisted painfully as she read the words over and over again, each one sinking deeper into her chest. It was as though Aaron had reached through the screen and touched something fragile inside her. The part of her that had been closed off, locked away for so long, stirred with an unfamiliar ache.
She wanted to reply. She wanted to tell him everything—to apologize, to explain why she had been distant, why she had pushed him away in the first place. But the fear of making things worse, of causing another tragedy, gripped her. She had failed once before, and the thought of failing him, or worse, causing harm to him again, paralyzed her.
Diane closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against the cool surface of the table in front of her. She could still hear the crash in her mind—the sickening sound of metal hitting flesh. She could still see the look on the stranger’s face before everything went black.
The feeling of helplessness had been suffocating back then. She didn’t want to relive that pain. She didn’t want Aaron to suffer because of her. And yet, here he was, reaching out again, asking for her to let him in. Asking for something she wasn’t sure she could give.
---
Minutes passed as Diane sat frozen in her chair, her phone resting in her hand. The library was growing quieter as students trickled out of the building for the day, but she didn’t notice. She was trapped in the storm of thoughts and memories that threatened to overwhelm her.
Finally, with a deep breath, she forced herself to open a new message. She had to respond. She couldn’t keep avoiding him forever. Even if she didn’t have the answers, even if she wasn’t sure what to say, she owed him the truth. At least some part of it.
Diane: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for pushing you away. It’s not because of you. It’s because of me. I... I’m scared, Aaron. Scared of what happens when I get close to people. You almost died because of me. I don’t want that to happen again.”
Diane pressed send before she could change her mind, her fingers trembling as she stared at the screen. The words had come out in a rush, unfiltered, and now that they were sent, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Would he understand? Would he think she was crazy? She couldn’t even begin to explain how much guilt and fear weighed on her heart, how every time she felt herself opening up to someone, it felt like a ticking time bomb.
The seconds stretched into eternity before her phone buzzed again.
Aaron: “Diane, I don’t know what happened in the past, but I’m not going to let it ruin us. I care about you, and I always will. I can’t just walk away. I won’t.”
Her breath hitched as she read his response. The rawness of his words struck her, and for the first time in a long while, she felt a glimmer of hope—though it was small, and fragile, it was there. He wasn’t angry at her. He wasn’t blaming her. He was offering her something she hadn’t dared to hope for in so long: a chance to try again.
She had spent so much of her life pushing people away, building walls around herself, convinced that the only way to keep them safe was to keep them out. But Aaron—Aaron wasn’t going to let her shut him out. He was fighting for her, for them, and that thought scared her more than anything.
---
The bell signaling the end of the school day rang through the building, snapping Diane from her thoughts. She had been sitting in the library long after everyone else had left, absorbed in her messages. Now, the halls were empty, the silence suffocating in its weight.
Diane slowly gathered her things, her movements automatic. She had one more message to send before she could face the world outside. She wasn’t sure what the future would hold, but she knew one thing for certain: she couldn’t run forever.
Diane: “I’m scared. But I’m willing to try. I’m not promising it’ll be easy, but... I’ll try, Aaron.”
It felt like a promise, even though she wasn’t sure if she was ready to keep it. But for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt like there was something worth fighting for.
---
By the time Diane stepped outside the school, the sun had already dipped below the horizon. The chill of the evening air was a welcome contrast to the warmth of the emotions swirling inside her. Her phone buzzed again, and she glanced at the screen.
Aaron: “That’s all I need to hear. We’ll take it one step at a time. I’m here, Diane. I’m here.”
For the first time in a long while, Diane felt something like relief. The weight on her shoulders had lessened, just a little. She wasn’t sure what would come next. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to face everything, to deal with the guilt, the fear, and the overwhelming love that still existed between her and Aaron.
But for the first time in years, Diane allowed herself to believe that maybe—just maybe—it was worth trying.
YOU ARE READING
Fatal Strings
Mystery / Thriller"Every love she touches ends in death. But what if love is the only thing that can save her?" Diane has lived her life shadowed by tragedy. Every boy she's ever loved has met a mysterious, untimely end-from playground accidents to fatal falls. Haunt...
