"Exactly," you said, as though I'd given you the answer you'd been searching for.
That was the moment I knew—I had fallen so deeply, so completely in love with you that it didn't matter if you ever knew. Just having you here, just sharing these pieces of time, was enough.
But life has a way of moving forward, even when we wish it wouldn't.
The day you told me you were leaving came quietly, like a whisper carried on the wind. We were walking down the path we'd walked so many times before, the golden light of the afternoon filtering through the trees.
"I'm leaving soon," you said suddenly, your voice calm but distant.
The words hit me like a wave, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe. "Leaving?"
You nodded, hands tucked into your coat pockets. "I've been offered something. A chance to start over somewhere far away."
My heart splintered, though I kept walking beside you, pretending that my world wasn't falling apart. "That's… amazing," I said, my voice hollow.
You looked at me then, stopping in your tracks. "Is it?"
I forced a smile, though my throat burned with the words I wanted to say. No. Don't go. Stay here with me.