WITH SEAN:
"I love you," Mia confessed softly, her voice trembling with vulnerability.
"I love you too, sweetheart," Sean replied without hesitation, placing a tender kiss on her forehead.
Sean was 28, an office worker who had gained a reputation for his dedication to his job. He was a man who seemed to have everything in order—a stable life, a decent career, and now, a beautiful girlfriend who adored him.
Yet beneath his composed exterior lay a truth he never voiced aloud. Sean's love life was as fleeting as the seasons, and deep down, he knew that this relationship, like all the others, was bound to end.
Mia had only entered his life a month ago, and already she was head over heels for him. But Sean had a pattern: his love interests changed more frequently than he changed his underwear.
The previous relationship had ended messily when he was caught kissing a man—a revelation that not many knew about. Sean was bisexual, a fact he kept closely guarded, shared only with his best friend, Matt. That secret, combined with his ever-wandering heart, ensured his relationships rarely lasted long.
Sean's complex nature was rooted in his past. An orphan raised in a shelter until the age of nine, his early life had been anything but easy.
Though he eventually found a home with foster parents who cared for him, the scars of abandonment lingered. His childhood wasn't filled with butterflies and rainbows, but it wasn't devoid of joy either.
He had moments of fun and love with his foster family, who remained in his life even as an adult. He no longer depended on them, but he made it a point to visit during the holidays—Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other special occasions. It was his way of maintaining a connection to the only family he had ever truly known.
After spending an amazing night with Mia, Sean found himself on the balcony, a cigarette resting between his fingers.
The night was quiet, the city below bustling faintly in the distance. He leaned against the railing, inhaling deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs before exhaling into the cold air.
Inside, Mia lay sleeping peacefully, unaware of the storm brewing in Sean's mind. She loved him dearly, and he cared for her in his own way, but he couldn't shake the feeling that their time together was fleeting. It always was. He had a knack for ruining good things, whether by his own restlessness or by choices he couldn't explain.
Despite his stable job, a loving girlfriend, and a supportive foster family, Sean often felt empty. Life, though comfortable, lacked fulfillment. He stared at the stars, wondering why he was never satisfied, no matter how much he had.
The cigarette burned down to its filter, but the ache in his chest remained. The saying was true: humans are never satisfied. And Sean, perhaps more than anyone, embodied that truth.
....TO BE CONTINUED...