Saturday morning came with soft sunlight and a cold breeze drifting through the dorm window. Brandston woke earlier than usual, even before Joel's snores had properly settled. He lay in bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling, still weighed down by Audrey's words the day before. It's not like I'm your girlfriend… please stop talking to me.
That line hadn't left his head since she said it.
After showering and dressing in silence, Brandston left the dorm to take a quiet walk around campus. Students were scattered here and there — some heading to clubs, others just hanging out. He avoided most of them.
His feet carried him, almost instinctively, toward the basketball court — where he first saw Audrey smile.
He sat at the edge of the bleachers, letting the silence calm his thoughts. But the stillness didn't last.
"Why do you always look like the world owes you something?"
Brandston looked up.
It was her.
Audrey stood a few feet away, arms crossed, her eyes... softer than yesterday. Less angry, more curious.
"I didn't expect to see you here," Brandston said quietly.
"I was walking. Then I saw you, sitting like you're in some drama movie," she replied, smirking slightly.
He chuckled under his breath, standing up. "Audrey… about yesterday—"
She held up a hand.
"Don't apologize again. I was harsh."
That caught him off guard.
She stepped a bit closer. "You were trying to talk to me, and I... pushed you away. I just hate feeling like some background character in someone else's love story."
"I never wanted you to feel like that," Brandston said.
There was a beat of silence between them.
Then she added, "Just tell me one thing — do you like her? Vanessa?"
Brandston looked her in the eyes. "No. I don't. I never have."
She didn't respond right away. Instead, she just nodded slowly and glanced up at the sky.
"You know," she whispered, "you're hard to figure out."
"You're not exactly easy either," he replied with a tiny grin.
She smiled.
And just like that, something cracked — the tension between them, the awkwardness. A fragile kind of peace.
Before either could say more, Joel's voice called from the far end of the court.
"YOOO, there you are! I've been lookin' all over — breakfast's almost gone!"
Audrey laughed. "Guess that's your cue."
Brandston looked back at her, hesitant. "So... we good?"
"We're better than yesterday," she said, walking past him.
And right as she passed, she whispered:
"You still owe me a real apology. Just not now."
Then she left him standing there, heart pounding, a little dazed — but definitely smiling.