｡𖦹°‧ 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐧' 𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐫𝐥 ⭑°‧꩜ .ᐟ

( 023. 'a week later' )

THE FIRST WEEK back from their trip to LA had been tense, and the air between walker and ariella felt thick. ariella hadn't said more than a couple of words to him since.

he couldn't stop thinking about her. how he'd messed up. how she'd shut him out. it was killing him. he knew she was hurt, but he never meant to make her feel that way. he had to fix it. he just didn't know how.

so when the guys invited him over to charlie's place after school, walker knew there was no avoiding the conversation anymore. they'd been texting him non-stop since they got back, all asking the same thing: "what's up w/ ariella?"

walker flopped onto the couch in charlie's living room, feeling like the weight of the world was pressing down on him. aryan and charlie were sitting across from him, both of them staring like they expected some big confession.

"alright, bro," aryan said, running a hand through his brown messy hair. "no more sadness. we all need #walkella what's your plan?"

charlie, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, shot him a look. "dude, you can't just sit around, hoping she'll come around. you've gotta show her you care."

"i know, i know," walker muttered, sinking deeper into the couch. "but every time i try to talk to her, she just... shuts me down. like, i can't even get her to look at me. i don't know how to fix this."

aryan leaned forward, serious now. "you messed up, man. big time. but that doesn't mean you give up. if you care about her, you gotta prove it."

charlie nodded, looking like he had an idea. "you know what would work? show up at her place. bring something personal-like, something she'll actually get. show her you're thinking about her, not just about fixing things."

"legos," walker said with a grin. "she's always loved those things. one time we sat on the phone for 5 hours and i just watched her build them"

aryan blinked. "legos? seriously?"

"seriously," charlie chimed in. "it's simple, but it's real. and she's not gonna forget that."

walker nodded slowly, a little surprised by how good the idea sounded. he had no idea if it would work, but maybe showing her something small-something personal-would help break the tension. maybe she wouldn't shut him out entirely if he did something that actually mattered to her.

"alright, i'm in," walker said. "i'll go grab some legos and flowers. just... keep it simple."

walker went straight to the store. he picked out a small lego set-nothing too crazy, but something she'd actually like-and grabbed a bouquet of her favorite flowers. as he stood at the counter, his nerves twisted into knots. what if she didn't even want to see him? what if she didn't care?

but he couldn't let the silence go on any longer. he had to try. even if she didn't take him back right away, at least he could show her that he wasn't giving up.

that evening, walker pulled up to ariella's house. his hands were tight on the steering wheel, his heart pounding. he wasn't sure how this was going to go, but he couldn't just sit around waiting for things to fix themselves. he had to try.

he knocked on the door, the bouquet and legos in his hands. a few moments passed before the door creaked open, and it wasn't ariella who answered.

blake, ariella's sister, stood there, eyebrows raised in surprise. "walker? what are you doing here?"

walker froze for a second, taken aback. he hadn't expected blake to be the one to open the door, but maybe this was a sign. "uh, hey, blake. i was hoping to talk to ariella. i, uh... i brought her something."

blake's eyes flicked to the flowers, then the legos, and she let out a small sigh. "yeah, i figured this was coming." she stepped aside, motioning for him to come in. "ariella's in her room, but she's not really... ready to see you right now."

walker's stomach dropped, but before he could say anything, blake gave him a knowing look. "look, i know you guys are in a tough spot. ariella's just... hurt. you know she's been cheated on before, right?"

walker's heart twisted. he knew about ariella's exs, but hearing it from blake made it hit harder. he had no idea how much that was weighing on her right now.

"i didn't mean to hurt her," walker said, his voice quiet. "i never wanted to make her feel like i was just another guy who'd do something like that."

blake gave him a soft, but serious look. "i know, walker. but she's just been in this position so many times before. it's not easy for her to trust anyone, and she trusted you. but i'll talk to her."

walker looked down at the flowers and legos in his hands. "i just want her to know i'm sorry. i'm not that guy. i care about her. i just... i need her to know that."

blake smiled faintly, reaching out and taking the flowers from his hands. "i think she'll appreciate this more than you know. just give her time. she's hurt, but she'll come around. and i'm gonna do what i can to help her see that."

walker nodded, feeling a tiny spark of hope for the first time in days. maybe he hadn't completely lost her. maybe, just maybe, he could still fix this.

"thanks, blake. i really appreciate it," walker said, his voice filled with gratitude. "tell her... tell her i'll be here when she's ready. i'll keep trying."

blake gave him a reassuring smile. "you're not giving up on her. that counts for a lot. just don't push her too hard. but yeah, i'll let her know."

walker gave one last look toward the door, his chest tight but hopeful. he didn't know what would happen next, but he wasn't going to give up. not on ariella. not now.

NIYA SPEAKS

i cant physcially take ariella being mad at him anymore im sorry guys im caving