CHAPTER 9
Falling Hard
Flashback
AT HOME
" Mom, can I ask you something?" I leaned against the counter, watching her stir the pot of pasta. The rich, warm scent filled the kitchen, but I barely noticed. My mind was elsewhere.
She hummed in acknowledgment, not looking up. "Of course, sweetheart. What's on your mind?"
I hesitated before blurting it out. "What do you think about love?"
This time, she paused. It was subtleâjust a flicker of hesitation before she resumed stirring, but I caught it.
"Love?" she echoed, like she was testing the word.
"Yeah," I said, shifting my weight. "Do you think it's a good thing?"
She let out a soft sigh, turning down the heat. "Love is... complicated."
I frowned. "Complicated how?"
She finally looked at me, her expression unreadable. "Because love makes people reckless. It blinds them. Makes them forget their responsibilities, their goals. It makes them weak."
Weak.
That word didn't sit right with me.
"But isn't love supposed to be... good?" I asked. "I mean, everyone says love is this beautiful thing."
She gave me a small, almost sad smile. "That's what people like to believe. But love isn't just about happiness, Ari. It can consume you. Make you do things you never thought you would. And in the end, it hurts more than it heals."
Her words sent a chill through me.
"Did... something happen?" I asked carefully.
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she reached for a plate, serving the pasta like we were having a normal conversation. Like her words hadn't just sent my thoughts spiraling.
Then, she finally said, "Love ruined my dreams once."
I blinked. "What?"
She placed the plate in front of me, her expression unreadable. "I had plans. Things I wanted to do. But love made me choose a different path. And once you choose, there's no going back."
I stared at her, the weight of her words pressing down on me.
Then, as if shaking off a memory, she gave me a soft smile. "But that's just my opinion. Why do you ask?"
I swallowed. "No reason. Just... curious."
She raised an eyebrow, amused. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!" I said too quickly. "I was just wondering, that's all."
Her smirk told me she didn't fully believe me, but she didn't push. Instead, she ruffled my hair like she used to when I was a kid. "Just promise me one thing?"
I exhaled. "What?"
"Don't let love become your whole world. You have so much ahead of you, Ari. Don't throw it away for something uncertain."
Something uncertain.
I nodded slowly. "I promise."
"Good," she said, turning back to the stove. "Now, go set the table. Dinner's ready."
I walked away, but her words stayed with me.
Love wasn't just complicated.
It was a gamble. And according to my mother... it wasn't worth the risk.