Kenzo didn't wait this time. He couldn't. Because something in Sofia had changed— and he felt it. Not anger. Not sadness. Something quieter. Something more dangerous. Detachment.
He found her after class. Not by chance. Not casually.
He looked for her. "Sofia," he called, breath slightly uneven.
She turned. "Yeah?" That tone— calm. Neutral. It hit him harder than anything else.
"Can we talk?" he asked.
Sofia hesitated. Not long. But long enough for him to notice. "…Okay," she said.
They walked to the same quiet place again. But this time— it didn't feel familiar. It felt… distant.
Kenzo didn't waste time. "I know something's wrong."
Sofia looked at him. "I said I'm fine."
He shook his head. "No… you're quiet." A pause. "And that's worse."
Sofia crossed her arms slightly. "You want me to complain instead?"
Kenzo frowned. "I want you to be honest."
She let out a small breath. "I am being honest." That answer— wasn't defensive. Just… tired.
Kenzo stepped closer. "Then tell me what's going on," he said softly.
Sofia looked at him for a long moment. Then— finally— she spoke. "I'm tired of adjusting." That—was it. Simple. Clear. Heavy.
Kenzo felt it immediately. "I know I've been busy—"
"It's not just that," she interrupted. Her voice didn't rise. But it carried something deeper now. "It's the feeling that I keep understanding you… while slowly feeling less understood myself."
Silence. Kenzo's chest tightened. Because that— wasn't something he could argue with.
"I don't want to compete with your life," she continued. A pause. "But I also don't want to feel like I only fit into the spaces you have left."
That— hit harder than anything else.
Kenzo ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not trying to make you feel that way," he said.
"I know," Sofia replied softly. "But that's how it feels."
And feelings— didn't need intention to be real.
Kenzo stepped closer again. "I thought I was doing better," he admitted.
Sofia nodded. "You were." A pause. "But now it feels like we're slipping into something else again."
That familiar pattern. That quiet distance. Kenzo shook his head. "I don't want that."
Sofia looked at him. "Then don't let it happen."
That sounded simple. But it wasn't. Because this time— it wasn't about effort. It was about balance.
And Kenzo wasn't sure he knew how to do that yet. "I'm trying to build something for my future," he said.
Sofia nodded. "And I support that." A pause. "But I don't want to disappear from it."
That— was the truth. Kenzo went quiet. Because now— it wasn't about choosing her once. It was about choosing her— alongside everything else.
"I don't want to lose you because I couldn't balance things," he said quietly.
Sofia's voice softened. "Then don't wait until I'm already gone to figure it out."
That warning— was real. Not dramatic. Not emotional. Final.
Kenzo looked at her. Really looked. And for the first time— he realized something he hadn't fully faced before. Loving her wasn't enough. Choosing her once wasn't enough. He had to choose her—every day— even when life pulled him in different directions.
"I'm not asking you to wait for me to fix this," he said. Sofia didn't respond. She just listened. "I'm asking you to stay while I actively fix it," he added.
That word— actively— changed everything.
Sofia studied him. Carefully. "Show me," she said. Not yes. Not no. Just— show me.
Kenzo nodded. "I will."
And this time— he knew— it wasn't about saying the right thing. It was about doing the hard thing. Before it was too late.
✨ End of Chapter 35