Between Two

Chapter 26 : The Breaking Point

The dorm hallway was quiet.

Too quiet.

Harua followed Maki out to the balcony, heart pounding in his chest. The night air hit his skin, cool and sharp, but it did nothing to calm him down.

Maki turned, his hands shoved deep into his pockets, shoulders stiff. For a moment, he didn't speak. He just looked at Harua like he was trying to memorize every detail of his face.

Finally—

"Do you even realize what you did to me?" Maki's voice cracked, though he tried to keep it steady. "You made me believe I had a chance. And then—just like that—you chose him."

Harua's lips parted. "Maki, I—"

"No." Maki stepped closer, eyes burning. "Don't give me excuses. Don't say you were confused. Because I saw it, Harua. The way you looked at me. The way you let me hope."

Harua's throat tightened. He wanted to explain. He wanted to tell Maki he never meant to hurt him. But the words wouldn't come out.

Instead, Maki's hand shot out, gripping Harua's wrist tightly. His voice trembled, desperate.

"Can't you give me a chance? Just once? Look at me, Harua. Tell me you never felt anything for me."

Harua's breath hitched. His body shook under Maki's grip, fear mixing with guilt until his chest felt like it might cave in.

"M-Maki... you're hurting me..." his voice came out broken, barely a whisper.

⸻

"Let him go."

The voice was sharp. Cold.

Both of them turned.

Jo stood at the balcony doorway, his eyes locked on Maki's hand gripping Harua's wrist. His jaw clenched, fury radiating off him like fire.

"Now."

Maki let go, but his anger didn't. He took a step forward, chin lifted. "You don't get it, Jo. You just showed up and took everything from me. Do you even know what it feels like to watch the person you love slip away—and there's nothing you can do?"

Jo's fists tightened at his sides. "Love isn't forcing someone to choose you. Love isn't grabbing them until they're shaking."

"Oh, shut up," Maki snapped, his voice breaking. "You don't know him like I do. You don't know what we've been through. I was here for him long before you."

"And yet he chose me," Jo shot back, stepping closer, eyes blazing.

The air between them sparked. One wrong move, and fists would fly.

⸻

"Stop it!"

Harua's voice ripped through the night, trembling, raw. Tears spilled down his cheeks as he shoved himself between them, hands shaking.

"I can't— I can't do this anymore!" His chest rose and fell sharply, words tumbling out like broken glass. "You're tearing me apart, both of you!"

The silence that followed was deafening.

Maki's chest heaved. Jo's glare burned holes into the floor.

And Harua... couldn't breathe.

So he ran.

⸻

Inside, Jo stood frozen, his eyes following Harua's retreating figure. His hands curled into fists, but this time not from anger—something worse.

Mistrust.

He let out a bitter laugh, the sound low and sharp.

"So that's it, huh?" His voice dripped with disbelief. "You were about to give him a chance..."

Maki's eyes widened, but Jo was already gone—storming after Harua.

Leaving Maki alone on the balcony, his heart in pieces, his knuckles white from holding on to nothing.