Shayla tells Mike that she wants to be with Anthony

The sun dipped low in the sky, painting the world in shades of golden orange and deepening violet. Shayla leaned against the railing of the balcony, her gaze lost in the distance. The party downstairs pulsed with laughter and music, but she felt a growing distance from its revelry. It was the perfect summer evening, and yet, her heart felt heavy.


Mike stepped outside, the soft click of the sliding door barely registering over the distant chatter. He approached her with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Hey,” he said casually, his hands slipping into his pockets. “Everything okay?”

Shayla’s heart raced. Mike was her best friend, and they had shared countless moments together—inside jokes, late-night phone calls, and even whispered dreams about their futures. But today felt different. Today, she needed to say something that had been gnawing at her, a truth that wedged itself between them like a stone. “Mike, we need to talk.”


He shifted, his smile faltering. “What’s up?”

She took a deep breath, steadying herself against the rail. “I— I’ve been thinking a lot lately. About us.”

His brow furrowed with concern. “Us? What do you mean?”

Shayla hesitated, the words caught in her throat. It wasn’t just about them; it was about Anthony, the cool and easy-going guy from her art class. The way his laughter lit up the room and his ability to listen made her heart flutter in a way she had never felt with Mike. The thought of confessing her feelings filled her with anxiety. “I think… I think I want to be with Anthony.”

Silence fell between them, charged and heavy. Mike stepped back slightly, the light from the party momentarily illuminating the confusion on his face. “Anthony? Are you serious?”

“Yeah,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve tried to push it away, to ignore it, but I can’t. He makes me feel… alive.”

Mike shook his head, a mirthless laugh escaping his lips. “Alive? Shayla, we’ve shared so much. I thought we were on the same page about what we wanted.”


“I know, and I value everything we have, but it’s different now,” she explained, her heart pounding. “I care about you, I really do. But it’s not the same kind of love. I don’t want to lead you on. You deserve someone who is all in.”

He stared at her, the hurt in his eyes evident. “So that’s it? Just like that, you want to throw away everything we’ve built together?”

“No, it’s not like that!” she pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. “This isn’t easy for me. But I can’t pretend to feel something I don’t. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

The music swelled below, and they stood there, the world around them fading. Mike’s expression softened, the hurt giving way to understanding. “I just thought… I thought we were going somewhere. I thought—”

“I know,” she interjected gently. “But sometimes what we imagine isn’t what’s true. I wish it could be different.”

He nodded slowly, the fight draining from his posture. “I get it. I want you to be happy. I just didn’t expect it to be with him.”

Shayla stepped closer, the weight of the moment pressing down on them. “This doesn’t diminish what we have. You mean so much to me. I hope we can still be friends.”

A long pause followed, silence almost echoing between them. “We will,” he finally replied, a shaky smile forming on his lips. “It’ll just take some time, I guess.”


As they stood together, the sun finally dipped below the horizon, leaving a blanket of twilight in its wake. Shayla knew their friendship would undergo a transformation, but it also allowed room for honesty, for both of them to explore their own paths.

As she turned to leave the balcony, she caught a glimpse of Anthony just inside, laughing with some friends, carefree and radiant. A spark of hope ignited within her. Stepping inside, Shayla felt lighter, ready to embrace the next chapter of her life, no matter how uncertain it might be. With each step, she began to let go, not just of the past, but also of a future that was never meant to be.