If I Stayed | Christian Yu

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE - SAINT / 1 DAY LEFT

Aaliyah caught it.

Everyone cheered. Mrs. Yu smiled proudly from her seat.

And still... Aaliyah couldn't stop staring at him.

He wouldn't look back.

[Christian.]

He was already ten minutes late when he pulled into the parking lot.

Not on purpose. But maybe a little on purpose.

Christian sat in the car for a solid three minutes after cutting the engine. Just staring at the steering wheel, letting the engine tick cool beneath the silence. He checked his phone. No texts.

Nothing from her.
Still.

He finally got out. Straightened the sleeves of his black sweater, checked the rings on his fingers. Hair? Whatever. It looked fine.

Walking into the restaurant felt weird. Like walking into a movie where he wasn't sure what scene they were on.

The place was full. Warm lighting, chatter, plates clinking. Everyone looked happy, like the wedding wasn't just a day away but already happening. Like this was the prelude to the best moment of someone's life.

He spotted Mr. and Mrs. Morales first-laughing with Mrs. Yu, probably about something old and embarrassing. Malik waved him over immediately.

Christian kept his eyes moving.
Didn't let them land on her.
Not yet.

"Look who finally made it," Malik said. "The man, the myth, the heartbreak."

Christian rolled his eyes but let out a soft laugh. "Traffic."

He slid into the open seat between Kenji and Kaylani. Reached for a glass of water like it might calm something down inside him. It didn't.

He could feel her.
Across the table.
Like gravity.

Kenji leaned in. "You good?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

Christian gave a small smirk and stabbed his fork into the food. "I'm chilling."

He wasn't.

He could hear her laugh. Not directly, just the edges of it. Could see Fabian leaning into her, brushing her arm, whispering something only she could hear. She smiled back.

Christian kept chewing.

Didn't taste anything.

When he finally looked up, it was instinct. Not planned. His eyes just moved.

And there she was.

Aaliyah looked effortless. Green silk, curls pinned back, gold catching the light. Like nothing had changed. Like she hadn't kissed him and walked away like it was just another mistake.

Their eyes met.

It was fast.
Too fast.
But it hit him anyway.

His throat tightened. His heart stuttered once, then steadied.

He looked away first.

Didn't know what else to do.

Mr. Morales stood to make a toast. Everyone raised their glasses.

"And of course," he said, "we're lucky to have Christian Yu with us; someone who's basically family and we're honored that he'll be performing the first dance song tomorrow."

Christian nodded. "Thanks for having me."

It came out fine. Neutral.
But his hands were curled into fists under the table.