24 | ☕The Long Overdue Catchup ☕ #2
Kaia must have sensed the shift in Anya's mood, because when Anya glanced up, she was met with a soft smile and a knowing look. Kaia's eyes narrowed slightly, but it was more understanding than judgment.
"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?" Kaia asked, her voice teasing but laced with concern.
Anya didn't try to hide it. "I can't stop," she admitted, the words coming out almost like a confession. She was tired of pretending, tired of keeping things bottled up when her mind kept circling around Atlas—his smile, his touch, the way his presence seemed to fill every space she was in.
Kaia tilted her head, her lips curling into a more tender smile. "Tell me, Anya, how do you really feel about him? You know you can talk to me."
Anya hesitated, her fingers absently tracing the seam of her jacket as she tried to sort through the tangled mess in her chest. How could she even begin to explain? She opened her mouth, but the words seemed to get stuck, as if they weren't quite ready to leave her.
"I like him, Kaia," Anya finally said, her voice soft, like she was testing the words on her tongue. "A lot." She paused, trying to collect her thoughts. "But... it's complicated."
Kaia's expression shifted from playful to serious, her eyes narrowing with curiosity. "How complicated?"
Anya slowed her pace, the weight of her emotions suddenly feeling heavier with every step.
Her feet dragged slightly as she tried to piece it all together.
"He's famous," she started, her voice a little distant.
"He's successful. He's... everything everyone else wants."
Her words stumbled over themselves as she spoke. "And I'm just... me. No one special."
Her throat tightened, and she lowered her gaze, suddenly feeling smaller under the weight of her own thoughts.
"No one special," she repeated quietly, almost to herself.
The doubt was like a shadow, always following her.
Atlas had everything she felt she could never have.
He was the kind of person who could light up a room without even trying, and she was... just Anya. Simple, ordinary Anya.
Kaia stopped in her tracks, and Anya barely realized it until she felt a gentle tug on her arm. She turned to find Kaia's intense gaze fixed on her, her expression softer than it had been all day. There was a quiet strength in the way Kaia held her gaze, like she was grounding Anya in the moment.
"Anya," Kaia said, her voice firm but warm, "listen to me. You are special. Don't ever think you're not, just because of him."
Anya swallowed hard, blinking away the sudden sting of tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth, but the words didn't come. Kaia's gaze softened, her hand still gripping Anya's arm, anchoring her in that moment.
"You're everything, Anya," Kaia continued, her voice unwavering. "You've got more inside you than anyone else could see. You don't have to be anyone else to be worth something. You're enough."
The words hung in the air, a promise wrapped in warmth. Anya's heart fluttered, but the doubts still swirled, too stubborn to fully dissipate. She nodded slowly, absorbing Kaia's words, though she wasn't sure she could believe them just yet.
"I... I don't know," Anya murmured, her voice small but thoughtful. "It's hard to believe sometimes. When I'm around him... I feel like I'm not enough." Her gaze drifted to the ground, suddenly embarrassed to share such vulnerable thoughts.
Kaia stepped closer, her hand now resting gently on Anya's shoulder. "You don't have to be perfect for him. He doesn't need perfect. He needs you. And I know he sees that. If he doesn't, then he's an idiot."
Tears pricked at the corners of Anya's eyes, but she quickly blinked them away, refusing to let them fall. She hated being vulnerable—hated the feeling that she was somehow weaker for it. It felt like exposing parts of herself she wasn't ready to share, and that scared her more than anything.
"But everyone is going to judge me, Kaia," Anya said, her voice cracking slightly, betraying her calm fa?ade.
She felt the weight of the words as they left her lips, a fear she'd been carrying for so long.
"If people find out we're together, they'll think I'm just—just another girl in his long list of women. He's a CEO, and I'm just... a woman who doesn't even know what she's doing half the time."
Her chest tightened as the anxiety twisted inside her.
She couldn't shake the thought of how people might perceive her, the whispers behind her back, the judgment that would inevitably follow.
She could already hear the rumours in her head.
"She's only with him because of his status." "She's just another one of his flings."
Kaia's grip on her shoulder tightened, pulling her back from the spiralling thoughts. There was a firmness in the way she held her, a strength that grounded Anya even when her doubts felt overwhelming.
"And you think Atlas doesn't know what he's doing?" Kaia's voice was steady, unwavering, her words sharp and precise. "Trust me, if he really likes you, he won't care what the world thinks. If he's brave enough to put himself out there for you, then maybe you should be too."
Anya's breath hitched as Kaia's words sank in. The truth of them was undeniable, and yet, the fear still loomed. How could Atlas, with everything he had, want someone like her? Someone so... uncertain. Someone who was constantly second-guessing herself, constantly unsure of her place in his world.
Kaia took a small step back, giving Anya some space to think.
"Look, no one can predict how the world will react. People will always have something to say, no matter what you do. But if you let fear of their judgment control you, you'll never live your own truth. You won't even give yourself the chance to be happy. You deserve that chance, Anya."
The words were like a weight lifting off her chest, though they didn't instantly erase the fear.
But for the first time, she realized that the real battle wasn't about facing the judgment of others—it was about allowing herself to accept what Atlas felt for her.
To believe that she was worthy of him, that she wasn't just some fleeting moment in his life, but something more.
Kaia gave her a small, knowing smile. "You've got this, Anya. You're not some side character in his story. You're the lead. So stop letting your doubts write the narrative for you."
Anya bit her lip, a hesitant smile forming on her face as she met Kaia's gaze.
She could feel the sincerity in her friend's words, the genuine desire to see her happy, and it was comforting.
Even though the fear wasn't entirely gone, something about Kaia's unwavering confidence made Anya feel like maybe, just maybe, she was strong enough to face it.
"Thanks, Kaia," Anya said, her voice soft but earnest. "I needed to hear that."
Kaia squeezed her shoulder once more. "Anytime, bestie. Now, enough of this deep stuff. Let's go get some dinner and forget about all this for a while, yeah?"
Anya laughed, the tension easing from her body. "Yeah, I could use that."
By the time they sat down for dinner, Kaia had completely shifted the conversation, her voice taking on a playful tone as she launched into her latest adventure. Anya, still wrestling with her own thoughts, found herself grateful for the distraction.
Kaia leaned forward, clearly enjoying Anya's interest in her tale, and took another sip of her wine. "Alright, buckle up," she said, her voice taking on that familiar, mischievous tone. "It was a whole thing."
Anya leaned in, her elbows resting on the table, as she hung on every word. She hadn't seen Kaia this animated in a while, and it was a refreshing change from the usual, more serious conversations they'd been having lately.
"So," Kaia began, drawing out the story with a dramatic pause, "I booked this last-minute trip to Italy, right? You know how I get when I'm in need of a change of scenery—head to a new place, breathe different air, maybe get a little lost. But Italy wasn't just about the sights for me;
it was about the food."
Anya chuckled, remembering Kaia's insatiable appetite for new culinary experiences. "Naturally."
Kaia nodded. "So, there I am, in Florence, with nothing but a backpack full of clothes and a stomach that's practically growling just looking at the city's food scene. I was all set to try everything. You know how it goes—pasta, pizza, pastries, gelato—basically the whole checklist of deliciousness.
"
Anya smiled, imagining her friend fully immersed in the Italian food culture. "Sounds like heaven."
"It was," Kaia said, her eyes gleaming as if she could still taste the food.
"So, I'm wandering the cobblestone streets, trying not to look like a total tourist. I'm famished, right? I've been walking for hours, just soaking up the city, and I stumble upon this tiny little bistro tucked in a side street. It's got a sign out front that's barely hanging on,