chapter 15 - heartache

________

Amy and Zahn hadn't talked to each other for several days, with neither trying to fix the issues between them. Zahn eventually realized it was no use hovering over the issue. He felt he would have to comply with Amy's wishes. If she wanted to keep their relationship secret, he had no choice over it.

A sudden realization hit him when he remembered what day it was. It was Amy's birthday.

How could he even ignore that?

Determined to make things better, he decided to throw a surprise birthday party for her.

Zahn spent the entire afternoon preparing for Amy's birthday. He started baking a cake, wrapped a beautiful gift for her, and booked tickets to a theme park, knowing how much she loved it. He then started decorating the home.

While Amy was outside, she got a message from Ruby asking her to meet at a party hall. Amy already had an idea of what it was about, but she couldn't contain her excitement.

As she entered, she was greeted with loud voices, "Surprise!!!" The hall was filled with her friends, colorful balloons, streamers, and a large banner that read "Happy Birthday, Amy!"

Her eyes filled with surprise. "Woah! Guys, that's amazing!"

"Like it? Come on, let's celebrate your birthday."

Amy nodded with a bright smile.

Meanwhile, Amy celebrated with her friends, enjoying her day. The hours flew by as they laughed, ate, and made memories.

Ruby and Amy took a moment to sit in the corner, talking to each other while everyone else was partying.

Ruby smiled warmly. "We all wanted to do something special for your birthday. I suggested the idea, and everyone jumped in to help."

Amy returned the smile, her eyes shining. "Haha, I expected that. Thank you, Ruby."

Ruby further added, "By the way, I talked to Mia yesterday. She seems to feel guilty but I think she is hesitating."

Amy sighed, "If she is guilty, she could reach out to me. But I will have to do that anyways"

"Yeah, that would be great. Come on, let's play games with everyone!"

"Yes!" Then Amy's phone popped with a notification. She glanced at it, kind of surprised to see a text from Zahn.

Zahn: "Amy, come over home."

Amy put the phone back in her coat pocket, thinking, I don't think he even remembers my birthday.

She ignored his text and joined the games with her friends.

Back at home, Zahn kept checking his phone and the time. As the hours passed, his anticipation turned into disappointment. He sent some messages to Amy, asking when she'd be home, but received no reply. His patience wore thin with time.

Amy was so caught up in the celebration that she lost track of time. It was already late when the party ended, but Amy started wondering why Zahn had called her over.

She kept thinking about it and finally gave in, deciding not to stay mad any longer. She ended up heading to his house.

When Amy finally arrived at Zahn's apartment, she was left stunned when she saw the decorations and the balloons.

Zahn got up from the couch, tired out from waiting for her. He glanced at her, "You're here now?" There was a hint of mockery in his tone as he looked over the bag of gifts in her hand.

She felt a pang of guilt as she looked around the room. "What is... all this?"

Zahn stood there, his eyes reflecting a mix of hurt and disappointment, "Nothing. I was foolish enough to prepare a birthday surprise for you. A birthday cake, and even a trip to the theme park. I kept waiting for you, thinking you would come, but you didn't. Why are you even here this late?"

Her eyes widened, her voice filled with guilt and regret. "Zahn..! I had no idea you would be preparing a surprise for me. I thought you didn't remember. I'm really sorry."

Zahn's eyes hardened as he spoke, " You saw the text, didn't you? You still didn't come earlier."

Her face fell, her voice softening as she tried to explain. "I mean... yes, I saw. But how would I have known you were preparing a surprise for me? I was with my friends. If I knew you wanted to celebrate with me, I would have come home."

Zahn's frustration bubbled over, his voice tinged with a mix of hurt and irritation. "Amy. It's called a surprise for a reason. You seemed to have a lot of fun with your friends, didn't you?"

She reached out, holding onto his arm with a hopeful look. "It's not like that, Zahn... But I'm sorry, okay? Why don't we celebrate my birthday now?"

Zahn, a little hesitant, but agreed. They sat down at the dining table, and Zahn brought a cake from the kitchen.

Her eyes sparkled with delight. "Woah, it looks amazing, Zahn. You did all this for me?"

Zahn's tense expression softened slightly. "Uhm yeah.."

The mood was a little palpable, but they celebrated Amy's birthday and cut the cake. It was a simple celebration, but Amy was content with that.

Zahn's lips finally curved into a genuine smile as he fed her a slice of the cake. "Happy 21st birthday, Amy."

Touched by his gesture, Amy chuckled, her eyes glistening. "Thank you, Zahn," she said softly, feeding him a piece of the cake in return. Their fingers brushed, and for a moment things seemed to be getting better..

Then he spoke, with a hint of hope in his voice. "I cooked many of your favorite meals today-"

"Zahn... I wish I could eat. But I already ate earlier, and my stomach is really full," she said, feeling a pang of guilt as the words escaped her lips.

He let out a resigned sigh, "Oh. I should have expected that."

An uncomfortable silence again settled between them..

"I even got tickets to the theme park, but I guess it was a waste," he further said, his voice heavy with dissapointment.

Seeing his expression, she gently placed her hand on his. "Zahn, why don't we go this weekend?"

He thought over it and nodded. "By the way, I have something-"

At that moment, Amy's phone started buzzing. It was Ruby. Amy declined the call once, but when it rang again, she glanced at Zahn apologetically. "Sorry, Zahn. I need to take this. It'll be quick..."

Amy started talking to Ruby on the call for the next 15 minutes. Apparently, Ruby needed some ideas for a project she was doing, then they started talking about random things. Amy got so caught up that she ended up forgetting where she was.

Zahn sat there, feeling increasingly sidelined. He was growing frustrated as the minutes passed on. Does she even care? Can't she talk on call later?

When Amy finally hung up, she noticed Zahn's expression and again felt surge of guilt. "Ugh. Ruby took all my time..."

He couldn't keep it to himself anymore. "I don't get it. Do I even hold any importance to you in your life or not? Your friends, other people are far more important."

Her heart sank, "Zahn, you are wrong. It's not like that.."

Zahn's eyes flashed with frustration. "Fine. You wanted to keep our relationship secret, and I decided to accept that. I tried to make things better, I planned time for just us, but you? You didn't even come on time, and even now your attention is elsewhere. You couldn't even wait to take the call later."

She frowned. "It's not even that serious, Zahn. I don't get you at all. Why do you have to exaggerate these small matters? I came here. Isn't that enough to let you know that I care?"

Without another word, he turned and walked to his room, shutting the door behind him.

Feeling the sting of his dismissal, She picked up her things and left the apartment, her heart heavy with a mix of guilt and anger.

Meanwhile, Zahn sat on his bed, staring at the gift he had chosen for Amy. He had been planning to give it to her, but now it felt meaningless. She already got so many gifts from her friends, mine doesn't hold any importance for her, he thought, his heart aching with disappointment.

________________

As days passed, their relationship seemed to become increasingly strained and impossible.

Amy was walking in the campus garden, lost in her thoughts, and her recent argument with zahn. I admit I might be wrong in some instances, but why doesn't he try to understand me?

Suddenly, Amy spotted Elliot sitting on a bench, his face down. Concerned, she went up to him, "Hey, what's up?"

"Amy..." Elliot's face was clouded with sadness, a stark contrast to his usual cheerful demeanor. Adding to her concern, she noticed a bruise marring his face.

"What happened to you?" Amy asked, sitting down next to him, her eyes filled with concern.

Elliot immediately hugged Amy, catching her by surprise.

"Elliot...?" She asked softly.

"I'm really in a horrible mood today" He confessed, his voice trembling. " It feels like nobody understands me.."

"Do you... want to share what happened?"

"My family keeps putting me down. They aren't happy with my choices. I had a heated argument with my father..." His voice carried a trace of hurt.

He listened patiently, feeling bad for him. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, offering silent support.

As they embraced, Zahn happened to walk by. He stopped in his tracks, his heart sinking at the sight, his eyes clouded with jealousy.

Zahn couldn't contain his anger any longer. He strode towards them and grabbed Amy's arm, pulling her away.

"Zahn?! What are you doing?" Amy exclaimed, startled.

He led her to a corner and shouted, anger etched on his face. "You! Are you moving on?"

Amy's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell, Zahn! I was just comforting him since he was distressed!"

"Stop all these lies, Amy! I'm so tired already! Now I think you lied about even liking me. You've just been fooling me, you just wanted to hurt me, didn't you?" Zahn's voice shook with frustration and anguish.

Amy felt a sharp pang of hurt at his accusations and didn't hold back either. "And what about you, Zahn? You assume things without believing me. You are always trying to hurt my feelings! This also makes me wonder if your feelings were ever genuine for me!"

He scoffed, not wanting to listen to her words. "You think I can believe you? Really? After you had me in that fake relationship for years for your selfish motives?"

Amy's heart ached as Zahn picked up past issues. "Even you know I was young at that time and... didn't I apologize for that? Why do you have to bring that up... you really have no trust in me," she said, her eyes brimming with hurt.

his voice growing louder. "Yeah, I don't. I can't trust you. I'm tired already! I can't keep getting frustrated because of you! You can't even reveal our relationship, your priorities are always others! Why should I be bothered then? I don't want to be in this relationship anymore."

"Fine! I don't want to either, you know? You never priotized me either and I have no interest in being with you if you can't even trust me. Actually, we were never meant to be together. We are better off away from each other!"

Zahn couldn't stand there any longer. With a heavy heart, he turned and walked away, not wanting to look back at her anymore.

That's how it ended.

Amy stood there, feeling a tumultuous mix of emotions-overwhelmed and aghast. Her first relationship had ended just like that, leaving her standing in the wake of their shattered dreams.

Elliot approached her, seeming concerned but Amy needed some time alone.

Finding a quieter place, she sat down, her eyebrows furrowed in thought.

How did things happen so suddenly? She wondered, her heart heavy with a overwhelming mix of emotions.

She replayed the argument in her mind, each word cutting deeper than the last. The anger , the accusations, the pain. All of it hurt Amy deeply.

Her heart tightened with heartbreak. But I really loved him... My feelings were never fake

The weight of the loss of her first relation pressed down on her. At the moment a voice called out.

"Amy?"

Amy looked up and saw Mia.

Mia noticed Amy's distressed condition but was unaware of the cause. "Amy... I'm sorry. Last time I lashed out at you because of my jealousy. But I know you didn't do anything... Can we be friends again?"

Amy's eyes narrowed, her heartbreak and anger finding a new target. "Oh, right? It's easy to say whatever you want first and then apologize later?" Her voice was laced with bitterness.

Mia felt a lump form in her throat, guilt washing over her. "Amy, I... I really was just frustrated that time. I'm really sorry-"

Amy stood up abruptly, her voice sharp and cutting. "Move. I'm not in the mood to talk to you."

As she walked away, her emotions felt too overwhelming, eating her up inside. She just wanted some solitude now...