Sometimes Mina felt like she was living two lives.
There was the one where she was just Mina: joking around, making playlists, sketching in the corners of her math notes.
And then there was the one where she was the unofficial keeper of Eliya’s heart.
Right now, that second job felt heavier than ever.
She watched Eliya pick at her lunch without eating. Across the quad, Theo sat with Zayn, tossing a ball back and forth, his eyes flicking over every few seconds.
Eliya didn’t notice. Or maybe she did and was pretending she didn’t.
“Eat,” Mina said gently.
“I’m not hungry.”
“You’re lying.”
Eliya sighed but pushed a grape into her mouth anyway. Her face looked tired, worn down. And Mina hated it.
She hated that Ava’s stupid posts were working. She hated that Theo’s hesitation was making things worse. And most of all, she hated that Eliya her bright, stubborn, brilliant Eliya was starting to believe she wasn’t enough.
---
Later – with Zayn
Mina hadn’t meant to end up next to Zayn after school, but life was funny like that.
They were both waiting in the library her for Eliya, him for Theo.
Zayn tapped his pencil against a notebook rhythmically. “Your friend’s hurting.”
Mina raised an eyebrow. “And whose fault is that?”
He smirked. “Theo’s an idiot. I tell him that daily.”
“Good. Tell him louder.”
Zayn chuckled, then grew serious. “He does like her, though. Like… really likes her.”
Mina folded her arms. “Then why is she still crying in my room at 2 a.m.?”
Zayn didn’t answer right away. Instead, he said quietly, “Sometimes people are so scared of losing the person they want that they freeze.”
Mina blinked. That was… surprisingly deep.
She studied him a moment longer. He wasn’t teasing. He wasn’t smirking. He just looked honest.
And annoyingly handsome.
Mina looked away fast. Nope. Not today.
---
Ava’s Shadow
The next morning, Mina overheard Ava in the restroom.
“…whole thing was fake, you know. He never liked her. She tricked him into it with that dumb app.”
Mina’s fists clenched at her sides.
Ava’s friends giggled. “Do you think people will believe it?”
“Oh, they’ll believe it,” Ava purred. “They already believe me.”
Mina stepped out of the stall before she could stop herself.
“Funny,” she said coolly, “because if it was all fake, then why does Theo look at Eliya like she hung the moon?”
The room went still.
Ava’s smirk wavered just for a second. Then it returned sharper. “Careful, Mina. Not everyone’s as gullible as you.”
Mina walked out, pulse racing. She didn’t know how much longer she could shield Eliya from this storm.
But she would try. She always would.
---
Mina & Eliya – Late Night
That night, Mina sat cross-legged on her bed while Eliya lay sprawled across the covers, scrolling aimlessly through her phone.
“Nova was laughing at his jokes again,” Eliya muttered.
Mina rolled her eyes. “She laughs at everyone’s jokes. She laughed at the vending machine when it stole her dollar.”
Eliya snorted despite herself.
Mina softened. “Listen, El… You’re scared. He’s scared. Ava’s being Ava. But none of that changes the fact that when Theo looks at you, it’s not fake. Not even a little.”
Eliya turned her head. Her eyes shimmered, uncertain. “And if it ends badly?”
“Then I’ll bring snacks, and we’ll ugly-cry together. But if it ends well…” Mina smiled. “You’ll finally believe what I already know you deserve it.”
For the first time in days, Eliya let herself laugh. A small, broken laugh but real.
And Mina promised herself she’d keep fighting until her best friend got the ending she deserved.
YOU ARE READING
The Love Algorithm
Romance"She coded the app that could predict love until it matched her with her worst rival." Eliya Park doesn't believe in love. She believes in logic, data, and coding especially when it comes to her senior project: LoveMatch, a matchmaking app that uses...
