Love, Once Again

t sleep t

ike a constant hum that refused to fade. "You don't owe me an explanation. Be

scape the truth that she had left him without a trace, without a single explanation. He was right. If she had

, she h

one. The moonlight that filtered through the curtains felt cold and distant, just like the relationship she had once shared with Ethan. She could still remember the way hi

ould clear her head. She slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her roommate, and put on a light sweater over her tank top. The chill in the air was a welcom

an old friend. The sky above was dotted with stars, their soft glow a gentle reminder tha

t her luck-Et

porch railing, a beer bottle in hand, staring out at the sleepy town below. The faint glow from the porch lights illu

es catching hers. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The silence

that was soft but

sleep e

hadn't expected. She shook her head, moving closer to the railing but careful

er. He set the bottle down beside him, his gaze flicking to h

ted. "Thin

eyes softening just a

the quiet with words that would make things right again. But nothing seemed adequate. She gr

ds slipped from her lips. "I di

thing she couldn't quite place. But it was gone before she could fully comprehend it. He took a long

o leave? The fear of staying in a small town, trapped by expectations, unable to break free from the life that seemed s

f staying here. Of being stuck. Of living the same small-town l

knew if I stayed, I would never leave. Because..." She trailed off, he

searching hers with an intensity that

truth for so long, but now, it was finally coming to the surface. She whispered the wo

lence. The weight of her confession

es. "You should have trusted me," he said, his voice low and stead

she had taken the choice away from him, made it for him. She had robbed him

resent me," she admitt

ickering in his eyes. "And instead, you just left me with not

his words. "I know," she whispered, feeling

ping in the distance the only noise that filled the air. Ethan pick

a while, his voice distant.

was nothing left to say, not yet. Maybe someday, they could find a way to m

e said softly, her voi

dn't

at could be erased with a few words. But maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for something new to grow. Something r

ck inside, the door closing softly behind