The Love That Broke Me

nything that day, no

avoid catching eyes that weren't looking f

ay, he loo

ss, the kind of sky that makes you feel like something is coming.

r someone had spilled soda on my book. My hair was a mess, my voice was stuck

smooth but not arrogant,

alr

a random classmate, maybe so

. It w

way he looked at me made me pause. He didn't loo

, but my voice cra

you feel small, but the kind that

s hand and sa

us. But curiosity is a dangerous thing, especially when the person it's tied to has eyes

second, just one small second,

ning late for a group assignment I wasn't even interested in. B

he

pt finding me or maybe I kept

schoo

stand near

ever used before he men

all things, the way I picked at my nails when I was nervous, how I cove

into dry ground, he started filling th

ely I had been until he

o tree near the back of campus, h

verything is fine" s

ing out, about being raised by

brother in an accident and how th

hands clasped on my lap, heart h

d to me and asked

oked

ruth wasn't

rything that night. B

and why I flinched when p

ieve people who

t so many wall

ry to knock

ient, his hand brushin

omething soft,

that does

believ

I beli

urned t

alking to lectures to late night calls fill

send me songs that reminded him of

d smilin

smi

nes I had master

ends n

her no

she said one weekend

ginning to forg

e I

e in forever, someone saw

th

ing, I c

ans

led a

l no

t, I coul

che settled

he didn't co

es. No ex

day, I star

ed ar

said the

trav

er

h

h w

had a

fifth day that

of him on

il

someon

gi

g her

capt

e I b

how long I stared

mber if I wa

ng inside me cracked so lo

sm

m arou

is chest like she had

four words that ri

e I b

g more than a detour, a

ing we shared

mbling in my hand, fin

ng. Maybe it was an old picture. Maybe he was

p down,

was

m me only to reappear

ed to

ow something, b

uldn't e

t

ways did when things hur

I walked through

me was talking,

was floating out

t beside me in the readi

d on mine gently a

d not

s nothin

then whispered,

h a simple

elt like

no, I wa

urthest thi

in slow motion, and

found the strength t

w the

ant to u

er real

dn't

that

the

later, he fin

for you to fin

so

was

plana

reg

ose sev

rereading it over and ove

ize for breaking

to build a home in someone's heart,

ed a

ete

d an

ted

as the

uld fix what

ld make him

ight,

s soaked, until my chest a

not just

for the trust I had given so easi

n the tears, I made

t let this

omple

g doesn't

g him, that w

ek, he showed up

before h

endor, that same easy smile on his face, lik

round, hea

n't r

ay, he messa

we t

the message

y

s left

own, I wan

ted c

uth that it hadn't meant as

crazy for feel

rep

By the mango

whole next

at the

g my

g my

lf not to cry

ame, I was al

t like before, branches sw

aw him walki

ked ne

n his p

searc

ached me, he didn'

he was trying to remember t

meeting me,"

didn't retu

e smiling

truth," he said

h her during the break, and everything happened so fast. Bu

lin

till

twisted com

ed?" I w

idn't you s

oked

how. I didn't w

" I said, my

at I did wrong. You disap

y," he sa

too late

n I thought

ght the worst of

sai

e in the ey

I made a