lines blurred

Lana

The rest of the night passed in a blur of polite conversations and fake laughter. I spent most of it avoiding Drew’s gaze, but his presence weighed on me like a shadow I couldn’t shake.

By the time I left the house and slipped into my car, I felt like I could finally breathe.

The drive home was quiet, the familiar roads stretching out under the pale glow of my headlights. The closer I got to my parents’ old house, the tighter the knot in my stomach grew. I hadn’t lived here in years, but the place hadn’t changed. The same chipped paint. The same creaky porch steps. It was like stepping back in time—something I wasn’t ready for.

Inside, the house was dark and quiet. I kicked off my heels by the door and padded into the kitchen. As I poured myself a glass of water, I caught my reflection in the window—tired eyes, tousled hair, and a flush that hadn’t completely left my face since Drew showed up.

Why was he here?

Drew Dawson was never the type to stick around in one place for long. When I was dating Jake, Drew had been in and out of town, always moving, always leaving just as quickly as he returned. He was a mystery back then, and it seemed he still was now.

I sighed, taking the glass to the living room and sinking into the old couch. This was going to be a long summer.

The next morning, I woke to sunlight streaming through the blinds and my phone buzzing on the coffee table. I squinted at the screen.

Jake.

I groaned but answered anyway. “Hello?”

“You sound terrible,” Jake said, his voice too chipper for this early in the morning.

“Good morning to you too.”

“Come on, Lana. It’s Saturday. I thought we could grab breakfast and catch up. My treat.”

I hesitated, but the guilt crept in quickly. “Fine. I’ll meet you at the diner at twenty.”

“Perfect. See you there.”

The diner was exactly how I remembered it—checkered floors, cracked vinyl booths, and the smell of burnt coffee hanging in the air. Jake was already waiting in a booth by the window, waving me over with a grin.

“Hey,” he said as I slid into the seat across from him. “You look better than you sounded on the phone.”

“Thanks, I guess?”

He laughed, signaling the waitress for two coffees. “I’m glad you came back, you know. Everyone’s been asking about you.”

I stirred sugar into my coffee, not looking at him. “I’m sure they have.”

“I mean it, Lana. It’s good to see you again.”

There was something sincere in his voice, and I softened. Jake had always been easy to like. Maybe that’s why it hurt so much when things fell apart.

We fell into easy conversation, catching up on the last few years. He told me about his job at the construction company, his plans to buy a house, and his mom’s latest obsession with gardening. It was nice—normal. For a moment, I almost forgot about last night.

Almost.

When the bell above the diner door jingled, I didn’t think anything of it. But then I felt it—that strange, electric awareness that made my heart skip.

I looked up, and there he was.

Drew.

He paused just inside the door, his dark eyes scanning the room before landing on me. Something flickered in his expression, too quick to read, and then he turned to the counter as if he hadn’t seen me at all.

“Is he following me or something?” I muttered under my breath.

Jake glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, hey, that’s Drew.”

“I know.”

Jake turned back to me, eyebrows raised. “You two talked last night?”

“Barely.”

“He’s been back for a while now. Didn’t tell me why—typical Drew.”

“Typical,” I echoed, my gaze drifting back to him. He sat at the counter with his back to us, but I could still feel him there.

After breakfast, I told Jake I needed to run errands, though I had no real plans. I just needed time to clear my head.

I ended up at the small bookstore downtown. It was one of my favorite places growing up, and stepping inside felt like a balm to my restless thoughts. I wandered through the narrow aisles, letting the quiet surround me.

“Lana.”

I froze.

I turned slowly, my pulse quickening. Drew stood at the end of the aisle, hands in his pockets, looking at me with that same unreadable expression.

“What are you doing here?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

He raised an eyebrow. “It’s a bookstore. People usually come here to buy books.”

I scowled. “You know what I mean.”

He took a step closer, and the space between us suddenly felt too small. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I have not,” I shot back.

“Liar.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words wouldn’t come. Because he was right—I had been avoiding him. Seeing Drew again felt like opening a door I’d sworn to keep shut.

“What do you want, Drew?” I asked quietly.

For a moment, he didn’t answer. Then he stepped closer, close enough that I had to tilt my head to look at him.

“You’re back in town,” he said, his voice low. “So am I. You’re going to see me, Lana. You can’t keep running away.”

His words hit me like a punch to the chest. I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way his nearness made my pulse race.

“I’m not running,” I whispered.

He looked at me for a long moment, like he was trying to figure me out. Then he stepped back. “If you say so.”

And just like that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with my heart hammering in my chest.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned, Drew’s words replaying in my mind. You can’t keep running away.

He was right, and that’s what scared me the most.

I finally gave up on sleeping around midnight and went to sit on the porch. The air was cooler now, the sounds of crickets filling the silence. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the railing, trying to calm the storm inside me.

“Can’t sleep?”

My eyes snapped open. Drew stood at the edge of the yard, his hands in his pockets, looking up at me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, my voice softer than I intended.

“Taking a walk.”

“At midnight?”

He shrugged, walking closer until he stopped at the bottom of the porch steps. “Couldn’t sleep either.”

We stared at each other for a long moment, the night stretching out around us.

“Why did you come back?” I asked, breaking the silence.

Drew’s expression shifted, something unreadable passing through his eyes. “Why did you?”

I looked away. “I had my reasons.”

“So do I.”

The silence between us felt heavy, charged with something I couldn’t name. I glanced back at him, and for a second, I thought he might say something more. But then he turned, walking back into the shadows.

“Goodnight, Lana,” he said, his voice soft and low.

I watched him disappear into the darkness, my heart pounding.

You can’t keep running away.

Maybe he was right. But what scared me wasn’t running—it was what might happen if I stopped.