Ellie always knew her love life was doomed the moment she started romanticizing shared eye contact during the espresso machine's steam cycle.
But this one felt different.
Worse, somehow.
More real probably because it wasn't.
Crushes were supposed to be fun.
Flirty. Stupid. Harmless.
But this one had cracked her a little.
She sat on her bed, wrapped in a lemon-patterned fleece blanket, holding a pint of caramel swirl like it was an emotional support animal.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. A meme from Max.
She smiled. Then sighed.
Last night's conversation kept replaying in her head. It had started with a joke it always did but somewhere between sarcasm and venting, she'd unraveled like a loose thread on a favorite sweater.
And Max had... listened.
No pressure. No judgment. No awkward "I'm sure he didn't mean it" platitudes.
Just comfort.
Wrapped in dry wit and perfectly timed emojis.
And that line, what was it again?
"You didn't make it up. You just hoped it was mutual. That's not foolish. That's brave."
She'd stared at that message for a long time.
Longer than she meant to.
Earlier that day, she'd seen him again.
Her crush.
Jason. The guy who laughed like a Netflix teen drama side character and always smelled like clean laundry and tragic decisions.
They had started talking more. He'd even started asking questions about her day. About her.
It was a textbook "maybe."
Maybe he liked her back.
Maybe she wasn't reading too much into it.
Maybe this wasn't another slow dive into delusion.
Then she saw it.
His phone screen lit up while she handed him his drink. A girl's name. A heart emoji. The grin he didn't try to hide.
Just like that, the maybe shattered.
"Classic Ellie," she muttered, spooning another bite of ice cream.
She opened her messages and typed:
Ellie:
Me: "I'm not gonna catch feelings." Also me: names our future child after a latte.
She hit send before she could regret it. A second later, Max replied.
Max:
Well, at least the kid would be warm, mildly sweet, and slightly overhyped. Just like you.
She let out a snort that startled her cat.
For a moment, the ache in her chest lifted. Not gone but manageable.
She tossed her phone onto her pillow and hugged her knees, letting herself feel the weird cocktail of embarrassment, relief, and… weirdly, peace.
Jason wasn't what she hoped.
But maybe that was okay.
Because for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel like she had to pretend with someone. Even if that someone was just a name on a screen.
At midnight, she texted again.
Ellie:
Do you ever think maybe we're just background characters in everyone else's love story?
Max:
Nope. If anything, I think we're the blooper reel. And that's the best part.
She smiled, curled deeper into her blanket, and whispered into the quiet:
"Yeah… maybe it is."