Chapter 48: Is he replaceable?

Alan's POV.

"Did she change the plan? Or coming to disappoint me even more? A train of thought began to form in my mind.

She finally stopped in front of us, slightly out of breath, one hand pressed against her side.

Sammy frowned. "Why do you look like you just sprinted across campus?"

"Because some people don't check their phones," she shot back immediately.

Her eyes landed on me first. Always on me first.

"Huh?" I pulled my phone out of my pocket. "You're talking about me?"

She crossed her arms.

"Obviously."

When I opened the phone, I saw six missed calls and three texts.

"Oops, I'm sorry," I said, genuinely.

Tessa looked between us suspiciously. "Okay, are you two fighting or something? After that night you came into our room, your vibe has been weird."

"Or maybe the whole thing was fake," Emma added casually.

Ryan's eyes widened dramatically.

"Wait—hold on. You guys are actually together?"

"Oh God," I groaned, rubbing my forehead. "Please don't start."

"I knew those rumors online weren't random," Ryan continued proudly. "And those edits? Bro, people were shipping you hard."

He punched my shoulder while laughing. I forced an awkward smile.

If only they knew the disaster that happened after that night.

Tessa and Emma still had no idea about Dax's confession.

About Milie breaking down.

About me being the idiot who helped her understand another guy's love while silently ruining myself in the process.

Milie looked at me with raised brows. I gave her a small wink, assuring her to handle it.

"No," I said quickly. "Nothing's wrong. My phone was on silent."

That seemed to settle them down enough. Then I looked back at Milie.

"So? What's the emergency?"

Her expression softened slightly.

"Can you take me home?"

That caught me completely off guard.

Home?

Not Dax's match?

Not football?

A stupid flicker of hope rose inside me before I could stop it.

"But he has plans," Emma cut in immediately.

Milie looked at her. Then, back at me, her face fell slightly.

"You do?" She asked, her voice laced with disappointment.

I shook my head without hesitation.

"No. I can take you."

Emma stared at me in betrayal. "Wow. Fake friend."

"I'm sorry," I laughed awkwardly.

"Fuck off, Alan." She said, walking away, clearly mad.

"Emma," I called her out, but harm was already done.

"Hey, Emma, wait!" Tessa said, rushing behind her.

"Come on, guys. Let's leave the lovebirds alone." Ryan dramatically made kissing noises before winking at me and walking away.

I wanted the ground to swallow me alive.

"Hey man, stop it," Milie muttered, clearly embarrassed.

But Sammy only smirked and whispered something in Milie's ears. She nodded with a warm smile.

That confused me even more. What is going on?

"Enjoy, Man." Sammy tapped my shoulder and moved past us.

"Enjoy?! For what?"

Milie turned back toward me. "Shall we?"

I nodded immediately. The walk to the parking lot felt strangely quiet.

And once we settled inside the car, the silence only grew heavier.

Milie kept staring out the passenger window, absentmindedly pulling at the sleeve of her hoodie.

Something was bothering her. Thank god, she herself broke the silence.

"Emma likes you, doesn't she?"

I glanced at her briefly before focusing back on the road.

"Yeah," I admitted honestly. "I get that feeling."

"And you?"

"She's a good person." I shrugged lightly. "So, I'm trying not to disrespect her feelings, but probably, I'm failing."

Milie nodded slowly. "Hm."

Her gaze again drifted outside the window. Silence settled between us again.

Not awkward, just heavy, and now it was my turn to break it.

"So what made you change your mind? Dax's match?"

"Nothing," she replied quickly. "I'm still going."

The tiny hope inside me dimmed a little.

"And here I thought she came running for me."

"But... we're getting coffee first," she continued softly. "Then we'll head back before the match starts."

I blinked at her.

"Take the next left." She added.

The realization hit slowly. I glanced at her again, unable to believe.

"She actually had come for me. The ride home was just an excuse."

Something warm spread through my chest before I could stop it.

"Oh, are we going for a coffee?" I asked, still unsure.

"Yeah."

"But, you didn't have to do that."

She immediately looked at me, offended. "I came here for you. If you don't want to, we can cancel."

"That's not what I meant." I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. "I'm just trying to make things easier for you."

"Did I ask you to?" Her voice went a bit irritated.

I frowned slightly. "What's the matter, Mils?"

"You keep pushing me away whenever things get emotional."

I let out a dry breath and pulled the car over near the curb. Then I turned toward her fully.

"I'm pushing you away? Really, Milie?"

"Yes."

I stared at her for a moment before speaking quietly.

"If I told you I was hurt… would you have said no to Dax?"

Her lips parted. But no answer came out.

"This… This I try to avoid." I looked away, staring blankly at the road.

"I don't really have a choice here, Mils."

Something inside her shifted immediately.

"I shouldn't have come," she muttered, reaching for the door. "Forget it. You can join Emma and others."

"Wait!! Is this all about Emma? Yeah, her mood crashed after Emma's interruption."

Before she could open it fully, I caught her wrist gently and pushed the door shut again.

"I said no because of our plans."

She slowly turned back toward me.

"And even if you hadn't come," I continued softly, "I still wasn't going with them."

Her expression softened instantly. "You weren't?"

I shook my head.

"You're not some backup option for me, Milie."

The words came out quieter than I intended, honest too.

For a second, neither of us moved. "And I'm not replacing you with someone else."

Unconsciously, my hand lifted toward her face, tucking the loose strand of hair behind her ear gently.

Her breathing faltered. "But I have no right to stop you, Alan." Her lips pouted slightly.

Suddenly, the air inside the car felt too warm, too quiet. Our eyes locked, and my gaze dropped onto her lips.

And for one dangerous second, I lost all my senses.

I just pulled her closer, feeling the temptation to claim those pink lips, but thank god, my phone rang.

"Oh, god, what's wrong with me?

I closed my eyes briefly and pulled my hand away while Milie looked out the window, breathing unevenly.

The screen flashed with a name... Daxton.

My fingers tightened slightly around the phone. "It's Dax," I said quietly.

Milie looked at the screen and then back at me.

"Don't worry," she said softly. "He knows I'm with you."

Something about that should've eased me—instead, a small knot formed in my chest.

I answered the call.

"Hey."

"Hey, Alan." Dax sounded normal. Calm. "Milie's phone is dead, I guess."

"Can I talk to her for a sec?"

"Sure."

I handed the phone over. The second Milie took it, her expression softened instantly.

"Dax…" The way she said his name did something uncomfortable to my chest.

There was a small pause before she spoke again.

"Yeah, I'll charge it if I can in the café."

Another pause, and then she looked down over her body.

"No, no, I'm fine.' I noticed she didn't have the jacket she had on in the morning.

Her voice and tone had changed from before. It was lighter and warmer.

And I hated the fact that I noticed it immediately.

"I'll be there in like twenty minutes." A small smile spread across her face after whatever he said next.

Not forced. Not guilty. Today, she was herself.

"Yes, promise." She laughed softly. "After that, the rest of the evening is yours."

Something inside me stilled.

There was another pause, and then she smiled wider.

"I know," she murmured. "You know I love surprises."

I looked away toward the windshield before she could notice the shift in my expression.

Because suddenly, the warmth inside the car didn't feel like mine anymore.

And for the first time that day, I felt replaceable.