JANA.

Moments she noticed because she always noticed, how Maddie would JUST call and something inside him would immediately shift.

Not love or longing, just a …habit of responsibility?

Ten years refusing to die and he answered Maddie every. single. time.

The day everything finally cracked started terribly.

Y/N had spent weeks preparing a difficult presentation at work.

Hours of stress, planning and revisions, only for a senior colleague to publicly tear it apart in front of everyone.

Not constructive criticism but… Humiliation.

The kind that leaves your ears ringing and follows you home.

By the time she made it through her front door she was barely holding herself together.

Moon knew immediately.

The golden retriever followed her around the house anxiously, whining and nudging her hand.

Trying to fix something, she ended up sitting on the kitchen floor, still in her work clothes, staring at nothing.

And before she could talk herself out of it, she called Jaafar.

The moment he heard her voice, he came. No questions asked.

An hour later they sat on the couch.

Moon stretched across both their laps as an oversized blanket. Y/N had finally stopped crying.

A little.

Jaafar sat beside her. One arm resting along the back of the couch.

“He’s just a jealous a$$hole.”

Y/N laughed weakly. “You don’t even know what he said.”

“I don’t need to.”

“Jaafar.”

“No.” He shook his head.

“If someone leaves you crying on a kitchen floor, they’re automatically an a$$hole.”

Despite everything, she smiled abit through her tears. “He paused me mid presentation to ask abo-“

His phone rang cutting her mid sentence, Y/N looked at his phone and immediately wished she hadn’t.

Maddie.

Of course.

Jaafar froze. The hesitation happened instantly, for the first time she actually saw it.

Saw him looking at the phone, looking back at her, saw the conflict and somehow that hurt worse.

Because he wasn’t choosing automatically anymore.

He was actually thinking about it, thinking about leaving her mid her break down just because Maddie called.

Which meant he knew she needed him and still thought about it.

“Y/N…”

His voice was careful as the phone continued ringing and the screen lighting up again.

Something inside her broke, as if she’d watched this movie too many times but wished for a different ending.

“Go.”

His head snapped up. “What?”

“Go.”

The word came out tired and he looked genuinely uncomfortable hearing them.

“I can stay.”

But they both knew he wouldn’t. Not really.

The phone rang again.

Y/N laughed softly, the sound almost made him flinch.

“Go, Jaafar.”

Then he sighed and stood. “I’m coming back tho okay?.”

There it was. The same promise every time.

Y/N just nodded, she he didn’t really trust herself to speak.

A moment later the door closed behind him and he was actually gone.

The silence felt enormous, for a while she simply stared at the front door.

The tears came first, then the first sob then another.

Moon immediately jumped onto the couch beside her, pushing his head beneath her trembling hands.

Trying desperately to comfort her and suddenly it all hit at once. The awful truth.

She would always be second.

Maybe Jaafar cared deeply, maybe he loved her in his own way. But when it came down to it and the choice appeared…

It will always be Maddie.

The realization hurt so badly she doubled over. Moon pressed himself against her side, trying to hold his momma together.

But there were some heartbreaks dogs couldn’t fix.

After a long time she reached for her phone, still crying and shaking.

A message sat unopened.

From Ethan.

The guy from work, who’d been trying to take her out for weeks now.

No pressure, but I’d still love to take you to dinner sometime :)

Y/N stared at it.

Then wiped her face, took a shaky breath and typed back.

I’d like that.

Her thumb hovered, just for a second, then she pressed send and the message delivered immediately.

And for the first time since she’d fallen in love with Jaafar Jackson.

Y/N made a decision that wasn’t about him, even if it broke her heart to do it.

The next evening, Jaafar showed up using his spare key, without texting.

A habit he’d developed months ago, that he never really thought twice about anymore.

Until he opened the door and froze.

Y/N was standing in front of the hallway mirror. Dressed up, not work or casual clothes but fancy clothes and spot on make up.

The sight hit him immediately, harder than it should have.For some reason his chest tightened. “You going somewhere?”

Y/N glanced at him through the mirror, the expression on her face immediately became guarded.

“Yeah, a date.” There was no hesitation this time.

Just a simple answer which made something ugly twisted inside him.

“Oh.”

She picked up an earring and finished fastening it.

“With Ethan?”

Y/N looked at him. “Who else would it be with?”

The response stung more than it should have.

Jaafar put the coffee on the table and shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to ignore the sudden irritation crawling beneath his skin.

“What do you even know about this guy?”

Y/N laughed immediately annoyed.

“Seriously?”

“I’m asking.”

“You’re interrogating.”

“I just want to make sure he’s good enough.”

The second the words left his mouth, both of them froze. Y/N blinked then actually laughed. “Good enough?”

Jaafar immediately regretted saying it but somehow couldn’t stop his jealousy or possessiveness that he didn’t know existed towards Y/N till now.

“Yeah.”

“Jaafar.”

“What?”

“You do realize you’re acting insane right?.”

He frowned. “I’m being protective.”

“You’re being annoying.”

“I’m looking out for you.”

“You had twenty-four hours to look out for me yesterday.”

The words landed like a slap. Immediate and brutal silence followed as Jaafar’s stomach dropped.

Y/N looked away instantly like she regretted saying it.

But the damage was already done because she was right. She was always here when he needed her but he left the first moment she actually needed him.

Then Y/N grabbed her purse which made something inside him panic.

The kind of panic that appears when something important starts slipping through your fingers.

“Y/N.”

“I’m not doing this again.” Her voice was tired now.

The phone in her hand lit up. Ethan.

I’m downstairs :)

Jaafar saw it and suddenly the situation became painfully real.

Ethan wasn’t some abstract idea, he was actually downstairs to take her away, make her laugh, learn her favorite coffee order, hear the stories Jaafar already knew by heart.

The thought made something sharp rip through his chest as Y/N headed for the door.

And that’s when it finally hit him like a train.

A devastating realization arriving months too late. He didn’t want her to go, not because Ethan was a bad guy, and not because he was protective, nor because he was lonely.

Because he loved her.

Loved her…

He. Loves. Her.

He loved how she remembered everything, how she always answered, how she looked for him in crowded rooms, how he immediately smiles when he sees her, how she cared about the details that no one really ever notices, how she always listens, how she’d been there every single time he fell apart.

And the worst part?

He just realized it. “Y/N.”

This time his voice sounded different and she heard it immediately which made her hand pause on the doorknob.

“Don’t go.” The words barely left his mouth.

Y/N turned. “What?”

His chest rose sharply.

“Don’t go.”

Her eyes immediately filled with tears because she already knew this wasn’t about the date anymore.

“Jaafar…”

He shook his head almost desperately. “No.”

For once he wasn’t letting her interrupt. For once he wasn’t running away. “I need to say this before you leave.”

The phone in her hand vibrated again.

Ethan.

She looked at the screen then at Jaafar.

She can’t let him break her again, not after months of watching him choose someone else.

Not after yesterday. Not after standing in her living room crying while he left for Maddie.

“What do you want from me?” The question hit him like a punch.

“What?”

“What do you want?” Her voice rose.

Months of pain finally spilling out.

“Y/N—”

A tear escaped as she laughed bitterly. “You don’t get to show up here every day and act like I’m the most important person in the world.”

His face immediately changed.

“You don’t get to look at me like that.”

“You don’t get to make me feel like I matter and then leave every single time she calls.”

Her voice cracked as another tear streamed.

“I needed you,” she said, and it came out so soft it almost didn’t survive the air between them.

His expression changed instantly,like something inside him had cracked open.

“You don’t know what it feels like-” she continued, voice trembling now, “to watch you go back to her. Over and over again.”

She dragged in a shaky breath, trying to steady herself, trying to stop the tears before they spilled further, but the tears didn’t stop.

“You don’t—” she shook her head, swallowing hard, “you don’t know what it feels like to love someone like that… to keep trying to fix them… and still watch them choose someone else. Someone who keeps hurting them… even after everything you did to help them heal.”

The room went completely still, the second the words left her mouth she froze, so did he.

The confession sat between them. Raw and Unplanned…Irreversible.

Y/N’s face crumpled immediately, she wished she could grab the words back and stuff them into her chest again but it was too late.

Jaafar was staring at her, like his entire world had tilted sideways.

“You…” His voice barely worked.

Y/N looked away instantly. Humiliated.

“Forget it.”

“Y/N.”

“Forget I said anything.”

She turned and walked , reaching for the door ready to run and disappear.

Then suddenly his hand wrapped around her wrist.

Y/N’s breath caught.

“Don’t.” His voice sounded wrecked.

She couldn’t turn or look at him.

“Look at me.” His voice cracked on the last word.

Y/N didn’t move. She stood there like she was holding herself together by force alone, like one more touch, one more word, would undo everything she’d been surviving on.

“Let me go,” she whispered again.

But Jaafar’s hand tightened desperately instead of releasing, like letting go would mean confirming she was already gone.

“Don’t ..do that,” he said, quieter now. “Don’t look at me like I’m already late.”

That made her eyes flick up, just for a second and it ruined him, because here it was.

The exhaustion and love that had turned into something painful just from waiting.

Jaafar’s breath hitched. He tried to speak, but nothing came out right. His hand moved from her wrist to her arm, then paused, like he was afraid even that was too much, like he didn’t deserve the right to hold her anymore.

“I didn’t…” His voice broke. He swallowed hard. Tried again. “I didn’t realize what I was doing to you.”

A bitter laugh escaped her, but it had no strength in it.

His hand finally rose, trembling, and touched her face, not sure if she would let him, not sure if he was allowed to want this anymore.

But she didn’t pull away and somehow that was worse, because it meant she still hadn’t given up on him completely.

“You’re shaking,” she whispered, like she noticed it against her will.

“I’ve been shaking for months. I just didn’t know why.”

Silence snapped between them. He leaned in slightly, not closing the distance yet, just enough that the air changed.

“I think I’ve been in love with you longer than I’ve been honest with myself,” he said, voice barely holding. “And I only noticed when I saw you trying to leave.”

His thumb brushed her cheek, slow, almost afraid.

“And I don’t know what to do with that now that it’s too late.”

Her eyes shimmered. “Jaafar…”

But he shook his head once.

“I’m not choosing her,” he said, and it wasn’t defensive, it was destroyed honesty. “I was simply not able to leave my comfort zone for 10 years now.”

His breath shook again, then softer, breaking completely.

“But I never felt this way when she left or tried to leave.”

“I feel it now. Every second you’re about to leave and be another man’s.”

Jaafar didn’t wait for her reply this time. He pulled her in, but even that wasn’t immediate.

It was like his body resisted it first, like he was crossing a line he had been standing next to for months and never dared to step over.

His hands cupped her face like he was memorizing her in real time.

And then he kissed her.

It wasn’t clean or gentle, it was aching restraint finally snapping.

Like every time he had looked at her too long and looked away or like every time he had almost said her name differently.

Like every moment he had chosen distance and regretted it the second she turned away.

Y/N made a broken sound against his lips, not surprise this time, but release, and it destroyed whatever control he had left.

His grip tightened slightly, not to trap her, but to anchor himself, because he genuinely didn’t trust his legs anymore.

When they finally broke apart, it wasn’t separation. It was survival.

Jaafar stayed close, too close to pretend this was over.

His forehead pressed against hers, breath uneven, eyes closed like he was trying to memorize what reality felt like when she didn’t leave.

“So that’s why-” His voice was barely a whisper, “That’s why losing you felt worse than losing her.”

And suddenly the room became very, very quiet.

Because that was the truth neither of them had been brave enough to say.

Until Now.

A/N : I warned y’all….

also I edited the cover pic of Jaafar to make it be like him holding moon on the beach , i am proud of it

For a moment neither of them spoke, Moon immediately solved that problem by throwing himself at Jaafar.

The force nearly knocked him backward. “Okay—okay, buddy.”

A tired laugh escaped him as he scratched behind Moon’s ears.

The laugh disappeared almost instantly.

Y/N’s chest tightened because he looked exhausted physically and mentally.

The kind of exhaustion that settled deep behind someone’s eyes. “What happened?”

Jaafar looked at her, for a second she thought he might not answer.

Then he swallowed. “It’s over.”

Y/N felt something twist painfully inside her, “Oh.”

That was all she managed, because she didn’t know what else to say.

Ten years. An engagement. A future. Gone.

The silence stretched then she stepped aside.

“Come in.”

The evening settled around them slowly like neither of them wanted to disturb it.

Y/N made coffee, Moon refused to leave Jaafar’s side.

The television played softly in the background, and as usual they started talking about stupid & safe things.

The neighbor who sang at two in the morning, Moon getting kicked out of a dog park for stealing somebody’s sandwich, a movie trailer they both hated.

Anything except the giant thing sitting between them and just like that the conversation eventually faded.

Neither seemed in a hurry to replace it, the living room filled with comfortable silence.

Jaafar sat staring into his coffee, the mug that had gone cold twenty minutes ago.

Suddenly he laughed, a small humorless sound.

“You know what’s stupid?”

Y/N glanced up. “What?”

His eyes never left the mug. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”

She frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

Jaafar leaned back, his head resting against the couch, and he looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then he sighed.

“For ten years there was always a plan.” The words hung between them.

“The engagement.” A pause. “The wedding.”

“The house.” His jaw tightened. “The next five years.”

Y/N’s chest ached because he wasn’t talking just about Maddie, he was talking about certainty, about waking up every day knowing what came next since he was 19.

About a future he’d spent years building, a future that no longer existed.

Jaafar rubbed a hand over his face. “I thought ending it would feel different.”

Y/N stayed quiet.

“I thought I’d feel relieved.”

His laugh came again. “ Instead I just feel empty.”

The confession settled heavily between them like neither of them knew what to do with it.

For a while only the television filled the room then Jaafar spoke again. “You know what’s even worse?”

“What?”

He looked down at his hands. “I don’t even know what food I like anymore.”

Y/N blinked. “What?”

“I’m serious.”

A humorless smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I spent so long making decisions as part of a couple that eventually I stopped making them for myself.”

His voice lowered, quiet enough that she almost missed it.

“I don’t remember when it happened.” Her chest tightened.

“When what happened?”

For a moment he didn’t answer.

“When I stopped being me.” The words landed like a punch.

Y/N looked at him, at the man everyone assumed had it together.

The man who always made people laugh, the man who carried things quietly.

The man who somehow spent all his energy making everyone else comfortable.

And suddenly he looked lost.

Not heartbroken…Lost.

Like someone had handed him his freedom and he had no idea what to do with it.

The sight broke something inside her .. before she could think better of it, before she could overanalyze, her mouth spoke.

She stood. “Come here...”

Jaafar looked up and for a moment he didn’t move.

Then he got up.

Y/N barely had time to open her arms before he stepped into them.

His forehead found her shoulder immediately, like he’d done it a hundred times before.

Like he didn’t have the energy to be embarrassed by how much he needed it.

His arms wrapped around her waist.

Tight.

Not because he was trying to comfort her, because he needed comforting.

Y/N hugged him back instinctively, one hand sliding into his hair.

And slowly, she felt him relax. The tension slowly leaving his shoulders, his breathing evening out.

Y/N swallowed hard, because feeling him vulnerable and trusting her like this..

Did something dangerous to her heart.

Something she wasn’t ready to examine, so she didn’t.

She pushed the feeling away, held him a little tighter.

Later, they moved back to the couch.

A different movie was playing now or maybe the same one.

Neither of them knew. Moon was sprawled across the floor, snoring loudly.

Every so often one of them would make a comment about something happening on screen.

Most of the time neither was actually watching, the emotional heaviness had eased slightly.

Jaafar looked exhausted, his eyes kept drifting shut.

“You should sleep.”

“I’m awake.”

“You literally just fell asleep.”

“I blinked.”

“You were unconscious.”

A real laugh escaped him.

The sound made something warm bloom inside her chest.

“There he is.”

Jaafar rolled his eyes. “Tough crowd.”

Y/N smiled, and the silence that followed felt easier.

And for the first time all evening she thought maybe he’d be okay.

Not today or tomorrow but eventually.

After a while, Y/N stood. “I’m getting water.”

Jaafar barely looked up.

“Hm.”

“You want anything?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“You sure?”

He gave her a tired nod.

“Okay.”

She disappeared into the kitchen.

Truthfully she didn’t need water, she needed a minute.

A moment to breathe away from everything she’d been feeling.

She leaned against the counter, closed her eyes and exhaled.

Then grabbed a bottle anyway, when she returned to the living room,

She stopped.

The television cast a soft glow across the room. Moon had somehow climbed onto the couch, half of his body draped across Jaafar’s legs.

The dog looked outrageously comfortable but Y/N barely noticed him.

Because Jaafar was asleep on the couch, head tilted awkwardly against the cushion.

Breathing slow. Even. Peaceful.

The sadness was gone from his face, altho the exhaustion remained on his eyebrows.

But the sadness was gone and the sight hit her harder than anything else had all evening.

She stood frozen in the doorway watching him.

Y/N’s throat tightened.

God.

She wanted to protect him, the realization arrived suddenly.

She wanted to protect him from everything, heartbreak, disappointment, every cruel thing anyone had ever said to him, every burden, every lonely night spent wondering if he was enough.

Her eyes teared because realization hit her that friends shouldn’t feel like this.

Friendship didn’t make your chest ache when somebody else was hurting, didn’t make you wish you could carry their pain for them, didn’t make their happiness feel more important than your own.

The truth settled quietly and patiently, like it had been waiting for her all along.

Every piece clicked into place, the relief every time he smiled, the panic every time he looked sad, the reason she’d stayed away.

Not because she didn’t care but because she cared far too much.

Y/N stared at him and at Moon sprawled across his legs.

At the peaceful expression she’d missed more than she’d ever admit.

She was truly, madly, deeply, in love with Jaafar Jackson.

Carefully, she grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over both of them anyway.

Then she stood there for a moment longer than necessary, looking at him and wishing that alone was enough.

Her gaze lingered on his face and for a brief, reckless moment, she wanted to reach for him.

To brush the hair from his forehead, hold his hand, peck his lips, tell him he wasn’t alone.

The urge was so strong it almost hurt, but she couldn’t, not when his heart was still breaking over someone else.

Her eyes burned, Y/N quickly looked away, wiping at a tear before it could fall.

Because suddenly the distance between them felt impossible.

He was only a few feet away and he had never felt further, so she took a step back then another.

Leaving him with Moon, the blanket, and the first peaceful sleep he’d probably had in weeks.

While she carried the weight of her new realization upstairs alone.

A/N : damn we are in deep sh’t fr! *sigh*

Traitor.

Jaafar smirked over his coffee.

“I think he likes me.”

“I think he’s a terrible judge of character.”

Moon barked.

“See?” Jaafar pointed.

“Even he disagrees.”

Y/N rolled her eyes with a smile and Jaafar laughed.

The sound came easier these days.

Almost too easy.

Three months of sunrises, texts, coffee, conversations that somehow never ran out.

The strange part wasn’t how often they talked anymore, It was how natural it had become.

Neither of them remembered who started texting first.

Their chat looked less like a conversation and more like two people slowly becoming part of each other’s daily routine.

Sometimes they had days where sarcasm is the language that no one can understands but them

Their chats became a collection of sarcasm nobody else would understand.

But also there were the ranting moments that was the foundation of the whole friendship ..

But she unintentionally always makes it easier, because why would he be smiling while going back home after an exhausting rehearsals unless,

The dangerous part wasn’t that he enjoyed her company , the dangerous part was how much he missed her whenever he went home.

Because every morning when he saw or text her, everything else felt lighter, easier and when he drove home, everything felt heavy again.

Home wasn’t peaceful anymore. It hadn’t been for a while.

At first it had been questions, then accusations, then monitoring, then control.

Maddie always wanted to know where he was,  who he was with, why he was late and why he didn’t answer.

At first he told himself she was stressed, wedding planning, work and life.

But eventually excuses stopped working, because no matter what answer he gave… it was always wrong.

One evening he woke up from a nap and immediately knew something was off, Maddie was sitting at the kitchen table.

His phone sat in her hands.

“Maddie??”

She looked up calmly. “Who’s Y/N?”

The room went silent, Jaafar stared at the phone, then at her, then back at the phone.

“You went through my phone?”

“I asked a question.”

“You went through my phone?”

“Answer me.”

His jaw tightened.

“She’s my friend.”

Maddie laughed, a short, bitter laugh.

“A friend.”

“Yes.”

“A friend you text.”

“Yes?.”

“You think I’m stupid.”

“Maddie—”

“When was the last time you told me about your day?” Her voice rose.

Silence.

“When was the last time you looked excited to see me?”

“I still don’t see how is that my problem tbh” He snatched the phone and walked off with tight jaw because she hit another nerve.

Blaming him for not being able to talk to her instead of getting close to him again and asking about him.

She stared at him walk off with the anger in her eyes slowly becoming something uglier. Resentment.

That night, while Jaafar slept…Maddie copied Y/N’s number to her phone.

The call came the next afternoon…Unknown number.

Y/N answered while throwing a tennis ball for Moon.

“Hello?”

“So you’re Y/N.”

She frowned. “Sorry?”

A woman laughed the kind of laugh that made your stomach tighten before you even knew why.

“You know who this is.”

“No…?”

“It’s Maddie.”

Y/N blinked.“Oh?”

Moon dropped the tennis ball at her feet but she barely noticed.

“Hi.”

“You spend every morning with my fiancé.”

The bitterness in Maddie’s voice practically dripped through the phone.

Y/N straightened immediately. “Maddie—”

“No.”

The interruption came fast and sharp.

“You don’t get to pretend.”

“Nothing is happening.”

“Really?”

“Yes we are just really good friends.”

Maddie laughed.“Friends? As if that makes it innocent.”

The word sounded insulting coming from her.

“You know what women like you always call themselves?”

Y/N’s grip tightened around the phone. “Excuse me?”

“Home wreckers.”

Y/N said nothing because suddenly she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the rest.

“Maddie—”

“You should be ashamed.”

Nothing had happened. Absolutely Nothing.

“You think you’re different?”

“You think because you haven’t crossed a line with him, then you’re innocent?”

Y/N swallowed.

“You aren’t.”

The words came quieter now which somehow made them worse.

“You’re just another whore waiting around for a man who belongs to somebody else.”

Click. The line went dead.

Y/N stood there staring at her phone.

Moon nudged her hand.Nothing.

The home suddenly felt too quiet, empty, exposing, because Maddie was wrong, nothing had happened. She genuinely was helping Jaafar be okay and she knew her limits so well.

But that wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that if Jaafar showed up right now and told her he wasn’t engaged, she wasn’t sure she’d walk away.

And that realization made her feel sick.

The next morning she didn’t go to the beach.

Moon sat by the door with his leash already in his mouth waiting for his morning walk, tail wagging.

Y/N looked away. “Not today Moon.”

Moon tilted his head, confused and slowly the tail slowly stopped wagging.

Y/N felt awful.

The first day Jaafar assumed she was busy.

The second day he checked his phone more than usual because she never ignored his texts. 

The third day, he was sitting alone on the beach, coffee cooling beside him, watching the sunrise, people walking by, dogs running across the sand,  and for the first time he realized the beach wasn’t what he looked forward to.

It had never been the beach….

His chest tightened because everything was exactly as it had always been, except she wasn’t there.

Another day passed and he stopped sleeping properly, he was angry, but not at her.

At himself, because he couldn’t figure out what he’d done wrong to push the only person who actually cared away.

He felt empty, like somebody had quietly removed the best part of his day and expected him not to notice.

Meanwhile Moon hated every new route Y/N tried, every new park.

Every single morning he pulled her toward the beach like he couldn’t understand why they stopped going.

Truthfully…

Neither could she.

Meanwhile, Maddie was planning a wedding, like nothing was wrong, like Jaafar wasn’t quietly falling apart.

One evening she spread venue photos across the dining table.

“Look at this one.”

She slid a photograph toward him, Jaafar barely glanced at it.

“Maddie.”

“I think the white roses look better.”

“Maddie.”

“Or maybe orchids.”

“Maddie.”

“The florist needs an answer by Friday.”

Jaafar stared at her not believing this was happening, she could see him unraveling and still care more about centerpieces.

Then suddenly she spoke. “You haven’t been sleeping.” For a second he thought she was finally asking if he was okay.

“The photographer noticed the dark circles.”

Silence…

“Can you fix them before the photo shoot?”

Something inside him broke like a rope finally snapping after years of strain. Jaafar looked down at the venue photos, the life they’d spent years planning.

And for the first time…It felt like someone else’s future. “Maddie.”

“What?”

His voice was calm. “We need to talk.”

She froze but continued to ignore him.

“Maddie.”

“No.”

The answer came immediately. Almost panicked.

“I don’t want this anymore.”

Her face went white.

“No.”

“I can’t do this.”

“No.”

She stood so quickly her chair nearly tipped over.

“We’re getting married.”

“Maddie—”

“You don’t get to do this.”

“I don’t get to do this?”

“Ten years.” Her voice cracked. “I gave you ten years.”

And for a moment guilt clawed its way into his chest then she spoke again.

“And she’s gone anyway.”

Jaafar frowned. “What?”

Maddie folded her arms.

“I called her.”

The room suddenly felt too small.

“What did you just say?”

“I called her.”

His stomach dropped. Because suddenly the unanswered texts, missed calls, empty beach, the way Y/N had vanished without a word, every single piece clicked into place.

Not because she wanted to leave because she thought she had to.

His chest tightened. “What did you say to her?”

Maddie looked away.

“She needed to know her place.”

The rage that hit him was immediate and violent, not because Maddie called. Because Y/N had been carrying whatever was said to her completely alone, thinking she is a bad person for being his bestfriend.

She’d been hurting and he hadn’t even known.

Maddie hesitated. “Jaafar—”

“What.” his voice rose “did you say?”

Maddie swallowed, for the first time she looked uncertain. “I told her to stop being a home wrecker and to stay away from you.”

The blood drained from his face, because suddenly he could picture it.

Y/N answering her phone, hearing those words, blaming herself for being a friend, disappearing because she thought it was the right thing to do.

His hands shook. “She was my friend.”

“Oh please.”

“No.” His voice cracked. “YOU don’t get to do that!”

“You were choosing her over me!”

“I wasn’t choosing anyone!”

The words exploded out of him.

“I was trying to breathe!”

Silence.

“You don’t understand.” His chest felt tight. “She was the only person who actually asked if I was okay.”

Maddie’s face fell.

“And you made her think she was doing something wrong for caring.”

He looked at Maddie, really looked at her and for the first time…

He couldn’t see their future, only exhaustion, distance, two people desperately trying to hold together something that had already broken.

Whatever she saw in his face at the moment, made her heart crumble. Because she saw his eyes go cold.

“No.” Her voice cracked. “Jaafar…”

He closed his eyes.

Because this was the moment, the point of no return.

“I think I’ve been gone for a long time.”

The engagement ended that night.

A/N : that was a hard one for me ngl

Jaafar sighed. “Don’t.”

“You’ve been getting those every five minutes.”

“I know.”

The phone started vibrating again, his friend lifted both hands. “I’m not saying anything.”

“Good.”

“She’s gonna kill you though.”

Jaafar grabbed the phone before it could ring a fourth time and answered.

“Hey.”

“Where are you?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I’m with my friends.”

“You said you’d be home a while ago.”

“I know.”

“So why aren’t you?”

His jaw tightened slightly. “Maddie, I’m twenty minutes late.”

“Twenty-five.”

He stared at the ceiling. “Seriously?”

“I’m asking a question.”

“No, you’re not.”

Silence filled the call, the kind that made him instantly regret answering.

“I’ll be home soon.”

“Fine.”

The line went dead, Jaafar stared at the phone which made his friend raised an eyebrow.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.”

It came out automatically, the same answer he’d been giving everyone for months.

Twenty-five minutes later he walked through the front door and immediately knew things weren’t fine.

Maddie was sitting on the couch staring at the television which wasn’t on, the second the door clicked shut behind him she looked up.

“There he is.”

Jaafar dropped his keys onto the table. “Maddie.”

“You know what?”

She laughed once with a bitter tone. “Fame really changed you.”

“There it is.”

“There what is?”

“That thing you do.”

“What thing?”

He shrugged off his jacket. “The thing where everything becomes a bigger deal than it needs to be.”

Her expression hardened immediately. “Jaafar?.”

“No seriously.”

“No. Seriously. what?”

“You’ve been acting like my manager since the biopic came out.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

Maddie stood. “Making sure my fiancé gets home safely is being a manager now?”

“Tracking where I am every hour isn’t normal.”

“I worry about you.”

“You don’t trust me.”

The words landed harder than he expected, because part of him knew they were true.

Maddie stared at him, hurt flashing across her face. “After ten years together you think I don’t trust you?”

Jaafar dragged a hand through his hair. “I think you’ve forgotten I’m still my own person.”

“Oh, that’s rich.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means ever since the movie happened you’ve been acting weird.”

His chest tightened, because she wasn’t entirely wrong either.

“YOU are the one acting as if am slipping away and trapping me.”

Maddie’s face fell, “You don’t really mean that.”

The room went quiet and Jaafar looked away first.

Because he did mean it, trapped by everything.

The wedding plans. The expectations. The future everyone else seemed excited about. The feeling that he was walking down a road he no longer wanted but didn’t know how to leave.

“I’m tired, Maddie.” Her expression softened slightly.

“What does that mean?” The question should’ve been easy.

Instead it felt impossible. How do you explain something you’ve spent years trying not to think about? How do you tell somebody that the love never disappeared…

But the eagerness, the spark and the excitement that made two people more than a habit, more than a routine….no longer exist.

“It means I’m tired.”

Her eyes watered. “THEN GO.”

The words came out sharper than she intended, he saw the regret immediately but something inside him snapped anyway.

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

He grabbed his keys and turned around walking out before either of them could say something worse.

The drive felt endless, every red light, every thought irritated him.

His hands tightened around the steering wheel, chest feeling heavy like something was sitting on it.

By the time he reached the beach the sky was still dark, the parking lot nearly empty.

Good. Exactly what he wanted. Nobody.

The ocean stretched endlessly in front of him.

Black water. White waves. Cold wind. Silence.

He sat down in the sand and stared at the horizon, for a while he didn’t think about anything.

Then unfortunately he started thinking about everything.

Maddie. The wedding. The fight. The fact that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d genuinely looked forward to going home.

Hours passed and he lost track deeply in his thoughts.

The sky slowly began turning shades of gold and pink, the world waking up around him and for the first time all night his chest didn’t feel quite as tight.

Then something golden sprinted past him at alarming speed which made Jaafar blink, the golden retriever nearly knocked over a beach chair before launching itself toward the water.

“Oh no.”

A voice echoed across the shore.

“MOON!”

Jaafar turned.

A woman was running after the dog and failing miserably. “MOON, GET BACK HERE!”

The golden retriever completely ignored her, Jaafar watched as she pointed dramatically at the dog.

“If you go into that water—”

The dog immediately jumped into the water which made her sigh with a small smile throwing both hands into the air.

“Oh, you little—”

The dog resurfaced looking incredibly pleased with himself.

Jaafar laughed, the sound escaped before he could stop it.

The woman whipped around, immediately pointing at him. “You.”

He blinked. “Me?”

“Did you encourage him?”

“I don’t even know him.”

“He’s very influenced by strangers laughing.”

“That sounds made up.”

“It’s not.”

The dog suddenly came charging back toward shore straight at her, she took one look at him and screamed.

“Moon don’t you dare—”

Too late.

Moon shook seawater absolutely everywhere making her yelp and jump backward.

The dog looked thrilled which made Jaafar laugh harder and to his surprise she started laughing too, like she physically couldn’t help it.

For some reason he couldn’t stop smiling, the whole thing was ridiculous.

A few minutes later the dog wandered over and dropped himself beside Jaafar like they’d been friends for years.

The woman stopped in front of them, looked at the dog then looked at Jaafar.

Then sighed dramatically. “Traitor.”

Jaafar scratched behind Moon’s ears and the dog’s tail immediately started thumping.

“What’s his name?”

“Moon.”

“Moon?”

“He was named by a five-year-old.”

“That explains a lot.”

She laughed and took a seat nearby. Moon immediately curled up beside Jaafar too completely at ease. If his mom was sitting down, then surely everything was safe.

The dog practically melted into the sand, completely relaxed, a clear sign that he felt safe around a man he had only just met, something that had never happened before.

“Unbelievable.” She sighed with a small smile.

Jaafar scratched behind the dog’s ears. “What?”

“He never likes anybody.”

Moon rolled onto his back, Jaafar looked down.

“That seems unlikely.”

“I’m serious.”

“He looks pretty committed.”

“Traitor.”

The dog thumped his tail.

She pointed at him.

“Don’t encourage him.”

“I haven’t done anything.”

“Existing apparently counts.”

For a moment they just watched the ocean and the sunrise , the wind blowing across the shore.

and……Moon trying to eat a stick?

“You should stop him.” Jaafar mumbled with a smile.

“Hm?”

“The stick.”

Jaafar frowned because…Moon was infact absolutely trying to swallow a stick.

“Moon.”

The dog ignored him.

“Moon.”

She smiled.

“See?”

“He’s stubborn.”

“Yes, an idiot.”

Moon continued chewing proudly which made them both laughed.

“So.”

She turned slightly toward him. “What do you do?”

Jaafar hesitated. “I act.”

She nodded immediately. “Ah.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“No, it definitely means something.”

She looked out at the water. “It means you’re one of those people.”

“What people?”

“ ‘I’m an actor.’ ” She made dramatic air quotes.

“ ‘Currently attached to a very exciting project.’ ” Another air quote. “ ‘Can’t talk about it yet.’ ”

Jaafar stared at her.

She continued. “ ‘Festival circuit.’ ”

He laughed, “You’ve met somebody like this?”

“Oh pfftt, too many.”

“That’s very specific.”

“It comes from experience.”

“What if I’m actually an actor tho?”

She squinted suspiciously.

“Then prove it.”

“How?”

“Act.”

Jaafar laughed again. “That’s not how acting works.”

“Sounds fake.”

“You’re impossible.” he said stopping his smile.

“Thank you.”

The conversation should’ve ended there, instead it kept going.

Effortlessly…One topic becoming another, stories becoming jokes and jokes becoming stories.

At some point she asked where he grew up, then somehow they ended up arguing about whether cereal comes first or milk…

For the first time all week, Jaafar forgot to check the time, forgot about his phone, Maddie, everything.

Eventually she looked at him, really looked at him and her smile faded slightly. “Okay.”

“What?”

“Serious question.”

His stomach sank..

“Why did you look like somebody just informed you the world is ending?”

The laugh escaped him before he could stop it. “That’s dramatic.”

“Is it wrong?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Because she wasn’t wrong not even a little.

The wind picked up around them, Moon dropped his head onto Jaafar’s leg and for some reason that made it easier to answer.

“I had a bad night...”

“Yeah.” She nodded for him to continue, “I figured.”

The thing was…She didn’t immediately ask for details, she didn’t pry or push either.

She just waited and somehow that made him want to tell her.

“I got into a fight.”

“With who?”

“My fiancée.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“That kind of bad night.”

Jaafar laughed quietly, “That kind.”

She nodded then waited again, no advice or judgment, just space.

And before he realized what he was doing…He started talking about the wedding, the pressure, about how everyone kept telling him how lucky he was and how guilty that made him feel.

Because he was lucky, Maddie was a good person, they been together for 10 whole years and somehow that made everything harder.

“She’s not a bad person.”

“I didn’t think she was.”

“I mean it.”

“I know.”

Jaafar looked down at the sand.

“She’s been with me through everything.” She listened quietly.

“The worst years.”

A nod.

“The lonely years.”

Another nod.

“The years nobody cared who I was.” And she was still listening.

“And now I feel…” He stopped, the words catching somewhere in his throat.

“Feel what?”

He stared at the ocean, “Exhausted.”

The answer sounded pathetic out loud but it was true.

“I wake up tired.”

“I go to sleep tired.”

“I’m planning a wedding I’m supposed to be excited about.”

“And every time somebody asks me if I’m happy…”

He laughed bitterly, “I don’t even know how to answer.”

For a long moment she didn’t say anything, the waves rolled in then back out was the only soundtrack around them.

Moon snored softly beside them asleep.

Finally she spoke. “That sounds lonely.”

Just that. Three words.

Not:

“You should leave.”

Or:

“You should stay.”

“Maybe you’re wrong.”

And somehow… It hit harder than anything anyone had said to him in months because for the first time in a very long time, he felt like somebody is actually hearing him.

When Jaafar finally got home, the house was quiet, the living room light was still on.

Maddie had fallen asleep on the couch.

A blanket half covering her while the television playing softly in the background.

For a moment he just stood there looking at her.

Ten years.

Ten years of memories sitting right there in front of him, the first apartment, the first vacations, the first “I love you.” , the proposal. the life they’d built together.

And yet…Looking at her now felt different.

Because he didn’t know if he loved her the same anymore and the thought made him sick.

So he pushed it away and went upstairs, telling himself things would feel better in the morning.

They didn’t.

The next day felt wrong, everything was wrong…At breakfast Maddie asked if he wanted coffee.

He said yes.

She handed him a mug.

He thanked her.

She nodded.

And suddenly it hit him, that this was the entire conversation.

At one point she sat beside him on the couch, her shoulder touched his.

A year ago he would’ve wrapped an arm around her automatically. Now he just…Sat there aware of the distance.

Even though there wasn’t any, the realization scared him because he wasn’t forcing himself not to touch her…He simply didn’t think about it.

Five days passed.

They tried talking alot and nothing hanged.

One night Maddie showed him wedding venues on her laptop, she looked excited..or maybe she was trying to be.

“What do you think about this one?”

Jaafar looked.

A beautiful venue. Flowers. Lights. Everything perfect.

“It’s nice.”

Maddie stared at him.

“That’s all?”

“What?”

“‘It’s nice’?”

He rubbed his face.

“I’m tired.”

“You keep saying that.”

The words hung in the room. “You’ve been saying that for months.”

Jaafar looked down because she wasn’t wrong.

Maddie’s voice softened, painfully soft. “Do you even want this anymore?”

His chest tightened and the question sat between them.

But he couldn’t answer, not because he didn’t know.

Because he did.

And saying it out loud would make it real.

Then he watched the understanding settle over her face, the heartbreak, and somehow that hurt more than any fight they’d ever had.

That night he barely slept, at 4:30 A.M. he gave up trying to sleep.

Got dressed, grabbed his keys and left.

By 5:00 A.M. he was sitting on the same stretch of beach. The exact same spot.

The sunrise painted the water gold as Jaafar stared at the waves, trying not to think about why he came.

Trying not to think about her.

Or Moon.

Or how light he’d felt sitting there talking to a complete stranger.

5:15 A.M.

Nothing.

5:30 A.M.

Nothing.

5:45 A.M.

Nothing.

The beach slowly became busier, Joggers, Dog walkers and Surfers, no Moon and ridiculous owner chasing after him.

Jaafar laughed quietly at himself, of course they weren’t coming.

He’d convinced himself this was normal, coming back to a beach because maybe there was a chance he’d see somebody he’d met once.

By 6:00 A.M. he finally gave up.

He leaned back on his hands and looked toward the ocean.

Then—

BARK.

His head snapped up, another bark..and suddenly the familiar golden retriever was racing across the sand at full speed straight toward him.

“No way.”

Moon launched himself into Jaafar’s chest, nearly knocking him over and Jaafar bursted out laughing.

Somewhere down the beach he heard a voice.

“MOON!”

His stomach immediately flipped.

“Moon, where are you going?!”

He looked up and there she was, running after the dog, and his stomach flipped again.

Just like the first day.

Then she spotted him, and her steps slowed as realization hit her on why Moon was running that way.

“Oh.”

A grin spread across her face. “It’s you.”

Moon barked proudly, like he’d personally arranged the reunion.

And for the first time all week…Jaafar felt that weight lift from his chest again

“It’s Jaafar”

“Y/N.”

A/N : delivered as promised 😝