Leon sat hunched over at the small table by the window, his gaze distant as he stared out at the city below. The apartment was quiet, save for the low hum of traffic drifting up from the streets below. The early morning light filtered through the half-drawn blinds, casting long shadows across the room. Dust floated lazily through the air, untouched by any breeze, like the silence that had settled over his life.
Alina had been at Sarah's for almost two days now, and every minute that passed without seeing her felt like a fresh wound being carved into his chest. He had called her again last night—twice—but each time, the phone had rung unanswered. He had stared at the screen for hours, hoping she would call back, praying she'd send even a single message. But there had been nothing.
Leon ran a hand through his unkempt hair, tugging at the roots as frustration bubbled up inside him. He could feel the tension growing, tightening like a noose around his throat. The thought of Alina being with Sarah—being influenced by her—made his stomach twist with anger. Sarah had always been against them, always feeding Alina doubts, always telling her to leave.
She's poisoning her mind.
Leon's jaw clenched, his thoughts spiraling further into bitterness. He knew Sarah would be pushing Alina to cut him off, to walk away for good. And the worst part was, she might succeed. Alina hadn't come home after the hospital. She hadn't given him a chance to explain, to apologize properly. She hadn't even let him see her.
She was slipping away from him.
Leon stood abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor as he shoved it back. The air in the apartment felt suffocating, the walls closing in on him with every passing second. He needed to get out—needed to move, to do something. Anything to stop the gnawing feeling of helplessness that was eating away at him.
He grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch and threw it on, his movements sharp and jerky as he stalked toward the door. As he stepped outside, the cool morning air hit his face, and for a moment, it felt like he could breathe again. The street was already busy, people rushing to and from their jobs, the distant roar of cars and buses filling the air. But Leon barely registered any of it. His mind was somewhere else.
I need to find her.
The thought was like a drumbeat in his head, pounding louder with every step he took. He couldn't just wait around anymore. He needed to see her, to talk to her. Maybe if he could just explain everything, she would understand. She would come back to him. She had to.
His feet carried him in the direction of Sarah's apartment without him even realizing it. He had been there once before, months ago, when Alina had convinced him to join her and Sarah for dinner. It had been a disaster from the start. Sarah had spent the entire evening throwing subtle jabs at him, making passive-aggressive comments about Alina's relationship, as if he weren't even sitting there. Alina had tried to brush it off, laughing awkwardly between sips of wine, but Leon had seen the way Sarah looked at him—like he was something toxic. Something dangerous.
And maybe now she was right.
Leon's chest tightened as he approached the apartment building, the familiar dread creeping back in. He had come here before, just a couple of nights ago, standing outside like some kind of stalker, hoping for a glimpse of Alina. He had never gone inside, though. He had convinced himself to wait, to let her come to him when she was ready.
But now, waiting wasn't enough.
The buzz of his phone in his pocket snapped him out of his thoughts, and for a brief moment, hope surged through him. Maybe it was Alina. Maybe she had finally decided to talk. He pulled the phone out, his heart pounding, but his face fell when he saw the name on the screen.
Sam.
Leon hesitated for a moment before answering, pressing the phone to his ear. "Hey."
"Man, where the hell have you been?" Sam's voice was loud, almost irritated, but there was a hint of concern there too. "I've been trying to reach you for days. You ghosted everyone."
Leon exhaled slowly, running a hand over his face. He didn't have the energy for this. "I've been... dealing with some stuff."
"Yeah, no kidding," Sam replied, his tone shifting slightly. "What's going on? You look like shit, by the way. I saw you walking near the apartment yesterday. You didn't even see me."
Leon blinked, his mind racing to recall the encounter, but nothing came to mind. "I didn't see you," he muttered, his voice distant.
"What's going on with you and Alina?" Sam asked, his voice softer now, more serious. "I heard something happened."
Leon's grip on the phone tightened, his heart pounding in his chest. He didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to admit to anyone what had really happened. But the weight of it was too much to bear alone.
"We had a fight," he said finally, his voice low. "A bad one."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and when Sam spoke again, his voice was cautious. "What kind of fight?"
Leon's stomach twisted with guilt. He could picture it in his mind—the way Alina had looked at him, the terror in her eyes. He had never meant to hurt her. Not like that. But he had lost control, and now he didn't know how to fix it.
"I fucked up," Leon admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I… I hit her, Sam. I didn't mean to, but I did."
The silence that followed was deafening. For a moment, Leon thought Sam might have hung up, but then he spoke, his voice laced with disbelief.
"Jesus, Leon…"
"I know," Leon said quickly, the guilt gnawing at him. "I know, okay? I'm trying to make it right. I've been calling her, but she won't answer. She's at Sarah's, and I—"
"Wait, you've been calling her?" Sam interrupted, his voice sharp now. "Man, you need to back off. If she's staying with someone else, it's because she's scared. You can't just keep calling her. That's not how you fix this."
Leon's chest tightened, anger bubbling up inside him. Sam didn't understand. He didn't know what it was like to love someone so much that it hurt, to feel like your entire world was slipping through your fingers. Alina wasn't scared of him. She was confused, hurt, but she wasn't scared.
"She's not scared of me," Leon said, his voice rising. "She's just… she's angry. I can fix this if I can just talk to her."
Sam sighed on the other end of the line. "Look, Leon, I get that you want to fix things, but this isn't the way to do it. You need to give her space. Let her come to you when she's ready."
Leon's jaw clenched, frustration boiling over. "I can't just sit around and wait, Sam! I need to see her!"
"Then you're going to lose her," Sam said flatly. "You're going to push her even further away."
Leon felt like he was suffocating. Every word Sam said only made the knot in his chest tighten. He couldn't lose Alina. Not after everything they had been through. Not after everything he had done to keep her.
"I'm not giving up on her," Leon said finally, his voice steely with resolve.
"You don't have to give up on her," Sam replied. "But you need to do it the right way. And right now, that means backing off. Just… take some time, okay? Clear your head. Don't do anything you'll regret."
Leon didn't respond. He couldn't. His mind was spinning, torn between the desperate need to see Alina and the gnawing fear that Sam might be right. But he couldn't back off. Not now. Not when everything was hanging by a thread.
"I'll talk to you later," Leon muttered before ending the call.
He shoved the phone back into his pocket, his hands shaking slightly as he looked up at Sarah's apartment building again. The rational part of him—the part that had been silenced by the overwhelming tide of emotions—knew that Sam was right. Alina needed space. She needed time.
But another part of him, the part that had driven him to this point, refused to listen. He couldn't wait. He couldn't let her slip away.
Not again. Not this time.
With one last glance at the building, Leon turned and walked away, his mind racing with the weight of everything that had happened. He didn't know what his next move would be, but one thing was clear.
He wasn't giving up.