Chapter 9
I hung up and immediately blocked his number. Then I went scorched earth–every social media platform, every photo, every goddamn trace of him. Delete, delete, delete.[]
But ten years is a fucking lifetime. No matter how fast I swiped, there was always more.[]
Ten years old: him clumsily climbing through my window to wipe away my tears.
Fifteen: riding on the back of his bike through streets lined with blooming trees.[]
Eighteen: him playing guitar under the stars, eyes burning with intensity as he sang to me.[]
Twenty: him blazing on stage while I sat in the shadows, capturing his moment of glory.]
Every single photo held what I’d thought was unbreakable. My finger kept moving–swipe, delete, swipe, delete–like some broken machine.
A line from an old poem drifted through my mind: “All beginnings are beautiful, but few endings endure.“[]
Stories always start like perfect dreams you never want to wake up from. But endings? They hit you like a freight train, leaving nothing but wreckage.]]
They say heartbreak is a slow burn, a dull knife that cuts deeper over time.
But this? This was a fucking avalanche.]]
Tears were streaming down my face, hitting my phone screen like rain. Not crying for him–crying for that girl who’d given everything, who’d poured ten years of love and youth into someone who didn’t deserve it.[]
A tissue appeared in front of me. I looked up to find Tristan sitting quietly, having witnessed my entire breakdown without saying a word.
I took it, embarrassed, roughly wiping my face:]
“Shit, sorry… I’m such a mess…”
My voice came out strangled.[]
“Give me your phone. I’ll handle the rest.”
He held out his hand, voice calm and matter–of–fact.[]
“You’re exhausted. Sleep. I’ll wake you for boarding.“[]
He placed an earbud in my palm.]
“Can’t sleep? Just close your eyes and listen.“]
He took my phone without waiting for permission. I hesitantly put in the earbud–smooth jazz flowed through, every song perfectly matched to my taste. My frayed nerves slowly unwound, exhaustion crashed over me, and somehow, I actually fell asleep.[]
Tristan’s soft voice pulled me back:[]
“Noa. We’re boarding.”
Chapter 9
He placed my phone back in my hand:
“All done.“]
Same unreadable expression. No prying questions, no awkward comfort attempts, not even a single word of sympathy.[]
As the plane climbed above the clouds and the world below blurred into nothing, something I hadn’t felt in months began to bloom–lightness.
Real, honest–to–god freedom.]]
The weight I’d been carrying for so long–gone. Like I’d finally stopped holding my breath after drowning for years.]
For the first time since this whole nightmare started, I felt like I could fly.[]
