She Thought Her Childhood Best Friend Had Chosen Another Girl — So She Walked Away Before He Could Tell Her the Truth
Chapter 2
Ryan noticed the empty seat beside him on the bus before he noticed anything else.
Claire always sat there.
Always.
He called her.
No answer.
He sent a message.
Where are you?
Nothing.
He checked the library.
The student center.
Their usual coffee shop.
The courtyard.
Nothing.
By six o’clock, Ryan was genuinely worried.
He called again.
Still no answer.
He finally went to Claire’s house.
Her mother opened the door.
“Ryan?”
“Is Claire here?”
She looked confused.
“She came home hours ago.”
Ryan stared at her.
“She did?”
“Yes. She said she wasn’t feeling well.”
He stepped back.
“She didn’t tell me.”
Claire’s mother smiled awkwardly.
“Maybe you two had an argument.”
“We didn’t.”
At least, he thought they hadn’t.
Then he remembered Natalie.
A possibility entered his mind.
He immediately rejected it.
No.
Claire knew him.
She would have asked.
Wouldn’t she?
Ryan returned home angry.
Not at Claire exactly.
At the fact that she had disappeared without telling him.
His phone buzzed.
A message from Natalie.
I’m sorry about earlier. I hope I didn’t make things awkward.
Ryan stared at the screen.
Then everything clicked.
Claire had seen them.
But she had seen only part of the conversation.
He typed a message.
Claire, please talk to me.
No reply.
That night, Ryan couldn’t sleep.
For the first time, he realized how much of his life depended on one person simply being beside him.
And suddenly, the empty space where Claire usually was felt unbearable.
