I don't want to lose you

I don't want to lose you
#ONE WEEK LATER #

VIOLET’S POINT OF VIEW

It had been one week since everything fell apart, and somehow life had continued anyway, moving forward in a way that felt almost unfair because I was still trying to catch up with emotions I hadn’t fully sorted through yet.

The exams were over, the stress of reading and late nights had faded, and now everyone was glowing in that strange, relieved way people do when something big finally ends, but for me, the quiet that came after felt heavier than the chaos that came before it.

I had spent most of the week avoiding Dylan in every way possible, ignoring his calls, refusing to read his messages more than once, pretending like if I stayed far enough away from him, the ache in my chest would eventually disappear, but the truth I didn’t want to admit even to myself was that it hadn’t disappeared at all… it had only changed, settling into something softer and deeper and far more dangerous.

Because I missed him and I hated myself for it,I hated that after everything he had done, after the humiliation, after the betrayal, after the way my heart had shattered so publicly, there was still a part of me that remembered how he looked at me when it was just the two of us, a part of me that remembered the warmth in his voice, the way he said my name, the way he held me like I mattered. I hated that those memories refused to fade, no matter how hard I tried to replace them with anger.

The graduation party was loud and alive around me, music filling the air, laughter spilling from every corner, students dressed beautifully as if tonight was the beginning of something new instead of the end of something old, and for once… I actually looked okay. Not perfect, not completely healed, but okay enough that people weren’t looking at me with pity anymore, okay enough that when I smiled, it didn’t feel entirely fake.

"Are you listening to me Violet?"Austin asked and I immediately blinked,sht I had zoned out on him again.

"Oh I'm sorry Austin..... urmmm I was thinking about something"I muttered and he nodded slowly.

"It's fine"

"So what were you saying??"I asked and he chuckled.

"I said how about lunch tommorow"

"Oh..... urmmm.... sure that Will be great"I mummured and he smiled widely. Well.....This past days Austin and I had been really close......I notice he loves spending time with me and to be sincere I kinda love talking to him too but they are sometimes I wish he would just leave me alone.

"Thank you, I'll try......."

"Violet......Geez we've been looking for you"Mira and the rest said and sat close to us.

"I'll leave you to your friends...... we'll talk later"He said and stood up.

"Hey Austin......hope we didn't chase you away"Mira said and he laughed and shook his head.

"Well kinda but it's fine.....my friends too have been calling me..... let's talk Later Violet "He said and winked at me before walking away.

"Wow..... He's so into you "Chloe whispered and I just chuckled lightly.

"He's been quiet and was avoiding you all these while but now he knows that Dylan is no more with you he's shooting his shot.....what a smart boy "

"Yeah, at some point he was even avoiding us all......but now he's all over Violet "

"Violet is so lucky, always attracting the hot dudes.....first Dylan and then......."She was saying when I noticed that Amanda gave her a side eye and she immediately shut up.

Mira sat beside me, and began talking animatedly about Zayn, about how things between him and her had become unexpectedly serious, while Chloe kept teasing Amanda about Brian in that playful way that made all of them laugh, and for a moment, just a moment, I let myself sink into it, into the normalcy of friendship, into the comfort of voices that didn’t judge me, didn’t pity me, didn’t remind me of what had happened.

We talked about everything and nothing at the same time, about how the exams had gone, about plans after graduation, about how strangely quiet the school felt now that everything was over, and then somehow, the conversation shifted.

“Did you guys hear about Nianna?” Amanda said, leaning slightly closer like she was about to share something important.
Mira scoffed lightly.

“Please don’t even mention her name.”Chloe shook her head.

“She left immediately after the last paper. Like….......Flew out of the country the same day.”I blinked slightly,surprised.

“Just like that?”

“Just like that, Some said her dad was transferred to another country while some said she obviously ran away” Mira confirmed, her tone holding a mix of disbelief and satisfaction.

“Honestly, I’m not even surprised. After everything she did, there was no way she could stay and face people.”There was a brief silence after that, the kind that came when everyone was thinking the same thing but no one wanted to say it out loud again, and then slowly, the conversation drifted back to lighter things, back to laughter, back to teasing, back to pretending that everything was fine.

“Urmmm.....i didn't want to mention this but I think we all should know.......I heard Dylan is on his way to London now.”Everything inside me froze.My head snapped toward her before I could even control it.

“Where did you hear that?”I said my voice coming out low and She blinked, clearly caught off guard by my reaction.

“Uh… Zayn told me this morning. He said Dylan is traveling this evening.”That was all I needed to hear.My chair moved back sharply as I stood up, my heart suddenly racing in a way I hadn’t felt all week, and before anyone could stop me, before I could even think properly, I was already moving.

“Violet.........” Chloe started, but I didn’t stay long enough to hear the rest.The music faded behind me as I rushed out of the hall, my heels clicking rapidly against the floor, my breathing uneven as thoughts crashed into each other in my head.He was leaving without telling me,without seeing me,without… anything.......wait..... wasn't I the one snubbing him???

The moment I stepped outside, I barely slowed down before I ran straight into someone.

“Hey.......” a familiar voice started, surprised.I looked up to see Zayn.

“Hey sis, where are you going to?” he asked, confusion written all over his face.

“Why didn’t you tell me Dylan was leaving today?” I cut in immediately, my voice sharper than I intended.He scoffed lightly, folding his arms.

“Because every time his name comes up, you get mad. I didn’t think you wanted to hear anything about him.”

“Where is he now?” I asked quickly, ignoring that.

“At the airport,” he replied.Something in my chest tightened painfully.

“I was about to go send him off,” he added.
I turned immediately, ready to leave, but his voice stopped me.

“Wait.”I paused, looking back at him.

“You can take my car,” he said, nodding toward the parking area.

“My driver is already waiting for me. I need to get something inside, so you can go with him.”Relief hit me instantly.

“Thank you.”I didn’t wait another second,I rushed toward the car, pulling the door open quickly and sliding inside, my heart still racing as I looked up at the driver seated in front.He was wearing a face cap and a nose mask, his features mostly hidden.

“Please take me to the airport,” I said urgently.He nodded once, silent, before starting the car.The drive felt endless,My hands were clasped tightly together in my lap, my thoughts loud and restless, my heart refusing to slow down as I stared out the window without really seeing anything.

Please don’t leave,Please let me get there in time.I didn’t even fully understand what I was going to say when I saw him, but I knew I couldn’t let him leave without… something.
Without hearing me,Without me hearing him.

The car was moving steadily when suddenly… it stopped and I frowned immediately, irritation rising quickly as I looked up.

“Umm… what are you doing?” I said, my voice edged with frustration.

“You can see that I’m clearly in a hurry.”There was no response.Instead, the driver slowly reached up and removed his nose mask,Everything inside me stilled then he took off the face cap and my breath caught.

“…Dylan?”I froze completely, my heart skipping so hard it almost hurt.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered, my voice barely steady.

“Shouldn’t you be at the airport?”He turned slightly to face me, his eyes softer than I had seen them in days, filled with something raw and unguarded.

“I couldn’t leave,” he said quietly.

“Not without seeing you.”Something in my chest tightened again, but this time… it wasn’t just pain.

“I tried,” he continued, his voice low and sincere,

“but I couldn’t do it, Violet. I can’t just walk away when you hate me like this.”I swallowed, my fingers tightening against my dress.

“I know I messed up. I know I hurt you in the worst way possible, and I hate myself for it every single day.”I looked away, blinking back the tears that were already threatening to fall.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like that,” he continued.

“Yes… the bet was real at the beginning, I won’t lie about that. But everything after that… everything with you… that was real. I fell for you, Violet. I didn’t even realize when it happened, but it did, and I tried to fix it, I tried to tell you, but I messed that up too.”
I shook my head slightly.

“You should have told me.”i said my voice coming out rudely.

“I know,” he said again, softer this time.

“I should have....... I should have told you before anything else, before it got this far, before you had to find out like that. I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”Silence fell between us, heavy and full of everything we hadn’t said yet then he looked at me again.

“If you hate me that much…” he said slowly,

“then why were you rushing to the airport?”The question hit me harder than I expected.I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out at first because I didn’t have a lie ready and I didn’t want to lie anymore.

“I…” I exhaled shakily, my voice softer now. “I don’t know."but that wasn’t true.....I did know.

“I hate that I missed you,” I admitted quietly, my eyes dropping to my hands.

“I hate that after everything… I still do.”My chest tightened painfully as the words left me.

“I tried to forget you,” I continued, my voice breaking slightly,

“I tried to be angry, to stay angry, but it didn’t work. It just… hurt more.”I looked up at him then, my vision slightly blurred.

“You hurt me, Dylan,” I said honestly.

“And I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.”He nodded slowly, like he understood that completely.

“But…” I swallowed, my voice softer now,

“This past week without you in my life has been hell...... I've thought about it and I don’t want to lose you either.”Something shifted in his expression, something fragile and hopeful.

“I love you, Violet,” he said quietly, like it was the most honest thing he had ever said.
My heart tightened again, but this time… it didn’t hurt the same way.

“I love you too,” I whispered.And before I could overthink it, before fear could take over again, I leaned forward slightly, and he met me halfway.

The kiss was soft at first, hesitant, like we were both afraid the moment might disappear if we moved too fast, but then it deepened, carrying everything we had been holding back, everything we had almost lost.
And in that moment… everything felt like it was finally falling back into place.