Episode 3: The Pull

*Episode 3 – “The Pull”*

*Alex’s POV*

If someone had told me a few weeks ago that my steady, simple life would spiral because of one girl walking into my kitchen, I would’ve shrugged it off. I mean, Joan and I had been together since junior year. We weren’t perfect, but we had history. We had plans. We had *comfort*.

But then Sandra showed up.

Not loud, not flashy—just… *present*. And somehow, that was all it took.

It started with the way she listened. Not just to words, but to the silence in between. With the way her eyes wandered when she thought no one was looking, as if she was always reaching for something invisible. The way she smiled when she thought something was funny but didn’t want to laugh out loud.

She was a mystery I hadn’t asked for, and now couldn’t stop chasing in my head.

We shared classes. Science mostly. Sometimes we’d bump into each other on campus and talk for a minute—two, tops—but I caught myself holding on to every word like they meant something more.

Joan noticed.

She always does.

We were walking to class when she said, “You’ve been acting weird lately. Distracted.”

I faked a yawn. “Just tired.”

“Hmm.” She didn’t believe me, but she didn’t press either. Joan didn’t push when she was suspicious. She waited—calculated. That worried me more.Later that day, I found myself paired with Sandra in the lab.

“Of course it’s you,” she muttered with a smirk when she saw the partner list.

I laughed. “What, not thrilled?”

She raised a brow. “You talk too much.”

“And you pretend not to listen.”

Her lips twitched.

We worked in quiet, side by side, close enough to feel the heat off her skin. At one point, her hand brushed mine reaching for a test tube. Neither of us moved.

Not right away.

There was a pause. A beat too long.

When she finally looked up at me, it felt like the room faded around us. Like even the fluorescent lights knew this moment wasn’t normal.

I looked away first.

I had to.

Because I knew if I didn’t, I’d say something I couldn’t take back.

Joan found me after class.

“You and Sandra looked cozy,” she said, half-joking.

“Lab partners,” I said quickly. “Nothing serious.”

But Joan’s eyes were sharp. Watching.

Later that night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. My phone buzzed—Joan texting me about her outfit for next week’s art show. I replied, but my mind wasn’t there.

It was with a girl whose laugh I was trying too hard to forget.

And the worst part?

I didn’t want to forget.

Because I hadn’t felt this alive in months. And that scared the hell out of me.I was standing at a crossroad. One path paved with safety, history, and a girl who loved me. The other? Unknown, thrilling, and very possibly a mistake.

But mistakes never looked this beautiful.

And I wasn’t sure how much longer I could lie to myself… or to Joan.

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