Uncertainty was like a fog.
It didn't come all at once. It crept in, soft and slow, until one day, you realized you couldn't see the road ahead.
That was where Akutu and Nathan found themselves now.
Not together. Not apart.
Somewhere in between.
Days turned into weeks, and their new rhythm felt… different.
They still checked in on each other. They still shared quiet moments in the library. They still laughed, still supported each other.
But something was missing.
Something they weren't sure how to name.
Was it love shifting into something new?
Or was it love fading into something old?
One evening, Akutu sat alone in her room, staring at her phone. She wanted to text Nathan. She wanted to talk, to ask him how he was, to feel the connection they once had.
But something held her back.
Would he reply quickly? Or would he take hours, like he had been lately?
Would he sound excited? Or just… neutral?
She hated that she even had to wonder.
Because love wasn't supposed to feel like this, was it?
Like waiting.
Like doubting.
Like questioning everything.
Nathan wasn't any less confused.
He knew he cared about Akutu.
But was caring the same as loving?
And if it was…
Why did everything feel so fragile now?
Why did he hesitate before calling her? Why did he sometimes feel relieved when she wasn't around?
And most importantly…
Why was he scared to admit it?
They met at their usual spot outside the lecture halls, just like they always did. But this time, the silence between them wasn't comfortable.
It was heavy.
Akutu cleared her throat. "Nathan… what are we doing?"
Nathan exhaled. "I don't know."
And there it was.
The truth.
They were standing in the middle of something neither of them knew how to fix.
Neither of them wanted to end it.
But neither of them knew how to save it.
So they did the only thing they could.
They sat together.
In the silence.
In the uncertainty.
And waited for the pulleys of life to shift once again.