The Taste of Trouble

Guilt is a funny thing.

It doesn't just sit there, quiet and bearable.

It claws at you, burrows deep beneath your skin, making a home in your bones.

I hadn't slept. Not really.

The weight of everything pressed down on me, heavy and suffocating.

Tessa's silence.

Ethan's reckless choices.

Jax's threats hanging over my head like a storm waiting to break.

And worst of all?

The nagging truth I couldn't shake.

I had put myself in this position.

I had chosen Ethan.

And now?

I was paying for it.

I was still lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, when my phone buzzed.

At first, I ignored it.

But then, I saw the name on the screen.

Tessa.

My heart stumbled.

For a second, I just stared at it, fingers hovering over the screen.

Then—I answered.

"…Tess?"

Silence.

Then—

Her voice, low and strained.

"We need to talk."

I met her at the café, the one we used to go to before everything fell apart.

Before I lied to her.

Before I chose Ethan.

Tessa was already there when I arrived, her fingers curled around a cup of coffee, her expression unreadable.

I hesitated before sitting across from her.

She didn't look up.

Didn't acknowledge me right away.

And somehow, that hurt more than if she had just yelled at me.

Finally, she sighed.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

I blinked. "What?"

Her gaze flicked up, something tired and raw in her eyes.

"I heard about Jax," she said quietly. "And… I don't know. I just—" She exhaled. "I don't want you to get hurt."

My throat tightened.

Because even after everything, she still cared.

And somehow, that made the guilt so much worse.

I swallowed hard. "Tessa, I—"

She shook her head. "Don't."

I froze.

Her lips pressed together tightly, her fingers tightening around the coffee cup.

"You lied to me, Liv."

I looked down. "I know."

"I'm your best friend."

My chest ached. "I know."

She let out a shaky breath. "And you didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth."

I wanted to explain.

Wanted to tell her that it wasn't about trust—that it was about fear.

That I was terrified of losing her.

But none of it mattered.

Because I had lost her anyway.

Tessa sighed, rubbing her temples.

"I don't know how to fix this," she admitted.

I swallowed hard. "Me either."

Silence stretched between us.

Then, finally—

She looked at me, something determined in her eyes.

"Walk away from him, Liv."

My stomach plummeted.

"What?"

She exhaled. "If you want to fix this—if you want things to go back to the way they were—then let him go."

My breath hitched.

Because she wasn't just asking me to fix our friendship.

She was asking me to choose.

And suddenly?

I wasn't sure I could.

I left the café feeling hollow.

Tessa had given me an out.

A way to make things right.

A way to shed the guilt that had been weighing me down.

But the problem?

Walking away from Ethan didn't feel like freedom.

It felt like loss.

And maybe…

Maybe I wasn't ready to lose him yet.

By the time I made it back to my apartment, my mind was spinning.

I needed to think.

To breathe.

To figure out what the hell I was going to do.

But when I stepped inside—Ethan was already there.

Sitting on my couch. Waiting.

I blinked. "What—"

His gaze met mine, intense and unreadable.

"Did you mean what you said?"

My stomach twisted. "What?"

His jaw clenched. "That you don't want this anymore."

I hesitated.

Because I had never said that.

Not once.

But suddenly, the weight of Tessa's words, of everything, was pressing down on me.

And I felt trapped.

Like no matter what I chose, I was going to lose.

I inhaled sharply. "Ethan—"

"Tell me the truth, Liv."

His voice was rough. Frustrated.

I clenched my fists. "You want the truth?"

He didn't blink. "Always."

My throat tightened.

Because the truth?

The truth was, I was scared.

Scared of losing him.

Scared of keeping him.

Scared that no matter what I did, I was going to end up alone.

So instead of saying any of that, I did the only thing I could.

I lied.

"I can't do this anymore."

Ethan stilled.

His whole body went rigid, his expression unreadable.

For a second, he just stared at me.

Then—

He nodded.

Once.

Tight.

Like he had just taken a punch to the gut.

And then, without another word, he walked out.

The door shut behind him.

And I broke.

I sank to the floor, chest heaving, hands shaking, heart aching.

Because I had just pushed him away.

And the worst part?

I didn't even know if I meant it.

But now?

Now, it was too late.

Liv makes the impossible choice—pushing Ethan away to fix things with Tessa.

Ethan walks out, and this time, it might be for good.

But does Liv really want to let him go?

Regret sets in, and Liv begins to realize… some mistakes can't be undone.