Five years || Timothée Chalamet

The air in the room was thick with tension as Timothée and Rhia sat across from each other in her living room. The familiar hum of the city outside felt distant, drowned out by the weight of the conversation that had to happen.

Rhia had asked him to stay for dinner, a tentative truce after weeks of tiptoeing around their unspoken history. The meal was half-eaten, mostly untouched, as they both stared at their plates. 

Finally, Rhia broke the silence."I can't keep pretending that we're fine," she said softly, her voice betraying the hurt she'd carried for so long. "You cheated on me, Timothée. You left. And now you're here, acting like none of that matters. But it does."

Timothée's throat tightened. He had known this moment was coming—the conversation that would unearth everything they had buried for years. He wasn't sure he was ready, but he knew he owed her this much.

"I know I've hurt you," he said, his voice low, full of regret. "And I don't expect you to forgive me just like that. But I need to be honest with you about why it happened. I—I was selfish. I was caught up in things I didn't fully understand. I thought I could have everything, without considering the consequences." He paused, his eyes looking at her with an intensity that reflected years of reflection.

Rhia didn't look at him right away. She couldn't. She focused instead on the glass of wine in her hand, swirling it, as if the motion could somehow help her hold it together. "You were selfish?" she repeated, her voice sharp. "Is that really what it was, Timothée? Just a moment of weakness?"Timothée flinched at her tone but pressed on. "It wasn't just a moment of weakness. It wasn't about wanting her. It was about wanting to escape... to feel free. The pressures of everything—work, the constant eyes on me, the way people expected me to be perfect—it was suffocating. I didn't know how to handle it. And instead of talking to you, instead of facing what we had, I ran. I thought, if I could just... distract myself, I could forget about all the things I was afraid of losing." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I made the worst choice possible. I betrayed you. And I've regretted it every day since."

Rhia's heart ached at his words, but the sting of his actions remained sharp. She looked at him now, her eyes finally meeting his. "I don't know if I can ever fully understand why you did it, Timothée. And maybe I don't need to. But what hurts the most is that you chose that over us. Over our life together."

"I know," Timothée whispered. "And I hate myself for it. I wish I could take it back. But I can't. What I can do now is show you that I've changed, that I'm not that man anymore."Rhia closed her eyes for a moment, her emotions swirling. The anger was still there, but beneath it was a deep sorrow she hadn't allowed herself to feel until now. "You left me with a child to raise on my own. You left me to pick up the pieces. And when I found out I was pregnant with Dahlia, I—" She stopped, the memories too painful to recount fully. "I had to protect her from the chaos you caused. From you."

"I understand that," Timothée said, his voice trembling slightly. "And I'm sorry. I didn't know how to be the man you needed. And I don't expect you to trust me again just because I'm standing here. I know I've burned that bridge. But I want to try. I want to show you that I can be better. Not just for Dahlia, but for you."There was a long pause, and for a moment, Rhia was unsure of where they stood. Could she ever forgive him? Could they ever rebuild what they'd lost? The question hung heavy in the air, unanswered.

"Why now?" she asked quietly, her voice thick with emotion. "Why did you come back? What's different this time?"

Timothée swallowed hard. "Because I finally understand what's important. I've been running from my responsibilities for so long, but I can't do that anymore. Not with you and Dahlia. I want to be here. And I need to prove to you that I'm worth trusting again."Rhia shook her head, a tear escaping despite herself. "I don't know if I'm ready to believe you," she admitted. "But I want to. I want to believe that the man sitting in front of me is someone I can trust. But it's going to take time. And even then... I don't know if we'll ever be the same."

Timothée nodded, understanding. "I'm not asking you to forgive me overnight. I'll wait for as long as it takes. But I promise you, Rhia—this time, I'm not going anywhere. And I'm not going to make the same mistake again."There was a long silence, but it wasn't the heavy silence from before. It felt like the beginning of something—something fragile, but real. Rhia looked at Timothée, her heart still torn, but she could see that he was serious."I don't know what the future holds for us," she said quietly, "but I'm willing to try. For you. For Dahlia."

Timothée's face softened, and he reached out, carefully, slowly, as if testing the waters. When she didn't pull away, he closed the space between them, pulling her into a hug. The warmth of his embrace was unfamiliar, yet comforting, and for the first time in years, Rhia allowed herself to lean into it, even if just for a moment.It wasn't a happily ever after yet. But it was a start.