It had been weeks since I had last heard from Aiden. Weeks since his name had appeared in my notifications, weeks since I had even seen him in class. The absence of him in my life had started to feel like a strange kind of silence, a void that I was still learning to navigate. At first, I had convinced myself that maybe he was just busy, caught up in his own world. But as time passed, it became clear. Aiden wasn't just busy. He was gone, in every sense of the word.
I sat in my room one afternoon, staring at my phone. I had been checking it compulsively for days now, hoping for a message, an email, or some sign that he remembered me, that I hadn't faded into the background of his life. But there was nothing. No texts, no missed calls, no updates on social media. It was as if he had erased himself from my world, and I couldn't figure out whether to feel angry or relieved.
It wasn't like I had been holding onto hope—at least not consciously. I had moved on, or so I thought. I had focused on my studies, my hobbies, my own growth. Yet, every now and then, in the quietest moments, I would wonder if maybe he had been thinking of me too, if maybe he would reach out, and if we could somehow pick up where we had left off.
But that moment never came.
I opened my old text messages with him, my fingers hesitating over the screen. The conversation had always been casual, the exchanges brief but comforting. I scrolled through the messages, my heart sinking with each one. There were no deep conversations, no emotional exchanges, just small talk—talk that I had convinced myself meant something more. But now, in the absence of any new messages, it felt hollow.
I clicked on his contact information and hesitated. My thumb hovered over the "Delete Contact" button. I had thought about it before, but the act of erasing him from my phone felt like erasing the last vestiges of hope, the last thread that connected me to him. But as I stared at his name, the reality of the situation hit me harder than ever.
Aiden was no longer part of my world. And I needed to let go completely.
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The next step was even harder. I had spent hours over the past few days trying to convince myself to delete my old accounts, the ones I had created for him. Social media was where we had first crossed paths, where we had exchanged likes and comments that, in my mind, had felt like a secret conversation, a flirtation that was just beginning to bloom.
But now, every time I logged into those accounts, I was faced with the empty reality of it all. Aiden's presence had completely disappeared from my notifications. His name no longer appeared in my friends list, no new pictures, no more posts. It was like he had scrubbed himself from the digital world, leaving no trace behind.
With a shaky breath, I opened the account I had created on a whim after we first started talking. I had followed him obsessively, posted updates about my day in hopes that he might see them, liking and commenting on every one of his posts. I felt a pang of regret as I scrolled through it all—proof of a time when I thought there was potential, when I believed that there was something between us.
But now, it was just a reminder of my own naivety.
I clicked through the settings, my finger hovering over the "Delete Account" option. This was the last step, the final act of letting go. I didn't need the constant reminders of someone who wasn't in my life anymore. It wasn't healthy to keep clinging to the idea of something that never truly existed. With a heavy heart, I pressed the button.
Done.
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I stood up from my desk and walked over to the window. The sky was clear, the sun beginning to set, casting a warm glow over the city. I watched as the world around me continued, unchanged, unaffected by the storm inside me. It was surreal, how quickly life could move on, how easily people could slip out of your world and into oblivion. Aiden had moved on, and I needed to do the same.
It wasn't just about deleting his number or removing his digital presence. It was about something deeper—an acceptance that I wasn't going to get the closure I had been hoping for. I had spent months waiting, wishing for some sign, some indication that things would change. But now, I realized that the only closure I was going to get was the one I gave myself. It was time to stop waiting, time to stop wondering what could have been, time to move forward.
---
The next day, I went to my political science class with a sense of finality. Aiden's absence was no longer a cloud hanging over me, a question mark that lingered in the back of my mind. I had found a new clarity, a new focus. I was no longer consumed by thoughts of him, no longer fixated on the what-ifs and maybes.
Instead, I found myself fully immersed in the lecture, taking notes with an intensity I hadn't felt before. The ideas we were discussing seemed more important than anything else. The passion I had once felt for my studies had reignited, and for the first time in months, I felt like I was where I was supposed to be. My future, the one I had always dreamed of, was within my reach.
I spent the next few days continuing to build my life without Aiden in it. I spent more time with friends, some new, some old, laughing and talking about everything but him. I dove into my gardening again, finding comfort in the rhythm of planting, pruning, and nurturing something that actually depended on me.
And as I spent more time with myself, I started to rediscover pieces of who I was before Aiden had entered my life. I had been so wrapped up in him, in the idea of us, that I had forgotten what it meant to just be me. Now, I was learning to enjoy my own company again. I was finding joy in the little things: a good book, a quiet afternoon, a spontaneous walk through the city.
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A few weeks later, I found myself standing in front of a mirror, adjusting the strap of my backpack before heading out the door. There was no more lingering sadness in my chest, no more desperate longing for someone who hadn't given me the time of day. I was free.
I took a deep breath and smiled at my reflection. I wasn't the same person I had been when I met Aiden. I had grown stronger, more self-assured, more comfortable with who I was. I was ready for whatever the future held, and for the first time in a long time, I wasn't afraid of facing it alone.
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