Chapter 2: An Irreversible Mistake

Jimmy and his friends were currently drinking and hanging out at a popular club. They were teasing him because they had just found out that he and Anika were engaged.

They had already met Anika and actually liked her.

“You were probably nervous when you proposed to Anika. Good thing she said yes,” Dan said with a laugh.

Dan was Jimmy’s closest friend.

“If I were Anika, I would’ve said no,” Tim joked.

“Hey! You’re talking like we’re not even friends. That was harsh—but too bad for you, Anika loves me!” Jimmy replied with a playful glint in his eyes.

They all just laughed.

A few moments later, Jimmy noticed a woman dancing on the dance floor. A man had approached her, and she was clearly trying to break free from his grip.

In Jimmy’s mind, he didn’t care much—he didn’t even know the woman. For all he knew, the guy could be her boyfriend.

But when the woman turned around, his eyes widened in shock.

It was Maya.

Anika’s best friend.

Jimmy immediately stood up from his seat.

“Something wrong, bro?” Dan asked, concerned.

“I’ll be back,” Jimmy said firmly, already walking away.

The music was deafening—pulsing bass, neon lights slicing through the crowd like lightning. Laughter, clinking glasses, perfume mixed with sweat. The kind of chaos where anything could happen, and often did.

Jimmy pushed past the crowd, weaving through dancers, his eyes fixed on the girl struggling near the center of the dance floor.

At first, he thought she was just tipsy—maybe fooling around with someone she knew.

But the way she pulled her arm away, the way her eyes darted around, panicked, said something else entirely.

The man with her—a stranger in a leather jacket—gripped her wrist tight, leaning in too close, his hand trailing somewhere it shouldn’t be. She was clearly trying to escape, pushing at his chest, but her voice was drowned out by the beat.

Jimmy didn’t think.

He moved.

Fast.

“Hey!” he barked, grabbing the man’s wrist just as it slid toward the girl’s waist. “Let her go. Now.”

The guy turned, startled. “Who the hell are you?”

“I said—let her go.” Jimmy’s voice was low, steady, the kind of tone that carried more weight than shouting ever could.

The girl yanked her arm free, stepping behind Jimmy like her body recognized safety before her mind could catch up.

“Man, this doesn’t concern you—”

Jimmy took a step forward, eyes locked. “It does now.”

There was a tension, a dangerous second where fists could’ve flown—but the man looked at Jimmy, then at the security guard approaching from the corner of his eye, and backed off with a muttered curse.

He disappeared into the crowd.

Jimmy turned to the girl—Maya.

“Are you okay?” he asked, breath still tight in his chest.

She nodded shakily. “Y-Yeah. I just… I didn’t expect him to grab me like that.”

“You shouldn’t have to expect that from anyone,” Jimmy said, softer now, his hand still hovering near her shoulder, just in case she needed it. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

And with that, they left the noise behind, her hand slipping into his—not romantically, but out of instinct. A silent thank-you. A quiet relief.

And somewhere in the blur of lights and music, something had changed.

“Did you bring a car?” Jimmy asked Maya.

Maya simply shook her head in response.

“Alright, I’ll drive you home then. Who knows what else could happen to you—and I might end up getting blamed by Anika. You two treat each other like sisters,” he added. “Get in the car, I’ll just text my friends first.”

After texting his friends, Jimmy drove Maya home.

He had been there once before—back when Anika had a sleepover at Maya’s place—so he already knew the address.

The ride was quiet.

City lights flickered past the window, casting fleeting shadows across Maya’s face. She sat still in the passenger seat, her hands folded on her lap, trying to keep her breathing steady. Jimmy kept his eyes on the road, one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually by the gear shift—calm, collected.

But for Maya, everything had shifted.

What just happened?

She could still feel the man’s hand on her wrist, the panic in her chest, the helplessness. And then Jimmy—stepping in like some reckless hero.

He didn’t have to.

He could’ve walked away.

But he didn’t.

Why does that mean more than it should?

She stole a glance at him. His jaw was clenched, his brows furrowed—not with anger, but concern. The kind that made her chest tighten.

It wasn’t the first time Jimmy had come to her rescue. Back then it was a flat tire. Another time, it was walking her home after a party. Small things. Harmless things. Things that weren’t supposed to matter.

But now, everything felt different.

And that scared her.

Not just because of what happened at the club… but because a dangerous part of her liked the way he looked at her afterward. The way he stood in front of her like she was something worth protecting.

But she wasn’t.

She was Anika’s best friend.

And Jimmy… was Anika’s fiancé.

The car slowed to a stop in front of her house. Maya exhaled slowly.

“Thanks, Jimmy,” she said, finally breaking the silence.

He looked at her, softening. “You sure you’re okay?”

She nodded. “I will be.”

But deep inside, she wasn’t sure if that was true.

Because tonight, something had changed.

And no matter how hard she tried to ignore it…

she felt it.

And worst of all—

she knew there was no going back.

“Oh Jimmy, Anika left something, she maybe needs it. She leftt it the other day. I didn’t check the envelope it could be important, wanna come inside?” Maya said the last phrase in a low tone.

”Ah yes please, could be important.” Jimmy get inside after Maya.

Jimmy sat on the couch, elbows on his knees, eyes trailing the quiet movements Maya made in the kitchen. She still looked shaken, but calmer—at least on the outside. Inside, he could feel it: the air between them had shifted.

“Want something to drink? Just… to calm down a little?” Maya asked, trying to sound casual.

Jimmy hesitated. “I probably shouldn’t. I’m driving.”

“One glass,” she said, already pouring. “Just stay a little while. I don’t really want to be alone yet.”

That made him pause.

He understood that feeling. The fear that lingered even after the danger had passed. He accepted the glass.

Minutes passed. They talked—lightly at first. About nothing. About everything. The kind of conversations that fill the silence when two people don’t know how to say what they’re really thinking.

Maya laughed at something he said. The kind of laugh that was too soft, too vulnerable.

Then… silence again.

And it was in that silence that something cracked.

Her eyes met his—not just a glance, but a search. There was pain there. And need. And something else she didn’t dare name.

“You always show up when I need someone,” she whispered.

Jimmy didn’t answer right away. He wanted to. He wanted to say this wasn’t right, that he needed to leave, that Anika would never forgive him. That he wouldn’t forgive himself.

But her hand touched his arm.

And he didn’t move.

Her face was close now. Her breath warm. Her voice trembling.

“Just for tonight… can we forget everything?”

Jimmy closed his eyes. “Maya…”

“I don’t want to be alone,” she said again. Quieter. Closer.

And maybe it was the night, or the guilt, or the twisted comfort of being seen—but whatever it was, he didn’t stop her when she kissed him.

He let it happen.

And for a moment, everything else—Anika, the future, the truth—slipped into the background.

It didn’t feel right.

It didn’t feel wrong.

It just happened.