cry when I

e stillness of the night as the words Liam sai

to say

aw a

r

I once believed w

uld've given my forev

the moment it g

plana

eff

ot the kind

long time, I ke

dn't hugged J

ad sensed Li

I had kno

I had d

love when it's real, you do

d to guess or

you, and

at the first

ht, I wr

am. Not a

to m

the girl who w

ho trusted

d someone who did

de her a

ver abando

for

or th

n for c

ng week pas

ces I used to

name on ev

't blo

't reach o

tri

missed

otes I didn

sage th

s talk. Just o

nothing le

bout hating him ,it was about loving myself enough to sto

he ache

ealing

y when I bumped int

n, headphones in, eyes on the dusty pa

va

d at the tall figur

second to r

rda

through his hair. "Didn'

since I last saw h

t he saw enough to er

een my child

ool, but fate had pulled us back

gentle. Attentive

g to force a smile.

" he said, eyes scanning

sita

though we both k

ine,"

little

dn't

bag and pulled out a book ,

you while reading it. You alwa

warmed

meone reminded me of who I

said, taki

re not fine, Ava. But you will be

oat ti

love figured ou

ybe you just gave it to someone

ettled in my chest

together f

t ask qu

offer forc

st st

more like love than any

ted ways, he

to talk to, or just sit

not trusti

quiet, the safety, the kindness began to

r another r

t

pe for

ughter

gs without

pe

y journal and wrote a questi

ve story is the one

down the pen, my p

er me

from

rom J

was from som

ut what happened. And you deserve t

the message,

egistered, the pro

oduction, no warning just

d it

n a

have ig

myself it was som

n my gut whispered,

ed sl

are

nse came

at I have to tell you does. D

sita

h to hear more to rip open a wound

about everything I

li

betr

epless

truth out there, I

if it

replied.

was a

me through that mad

heated

the screen,

n?" I replied, f

sages poured

y. One of them is my friend. He told them he was single. Lied to the

dn't b

ldn't

slapped across the face by

nside me... I w

tories, the way he deflected questions, t

ver just

calcu

telling me t

s still recovering. And when I found out about you

e if I was grate

be

ave proof

message

ph

mach t

as L

had never bee

didn't recognize, his li

time

our so-called "

still texting

r sent anot

. She thought she wa

n and pressed both

rs of my eyes, but I

crying over

just heartbr

yal layered wi

storyteller and handed each of us

room, my heart racing faster

lt s

e sickness, th

anger... the

ever l

ved c

d the a

d being

lo

fe, hone

't what h

up my pho

no longer

for telling

re, you did th

y came i

eace. You deserve b

hey we

ber dis

deleted, I

didn't

ly had all the

I met up wit

t talk a

t talk a

sharing fries from a paper bag and watching

as q

in a long while, that s

lt he

riting again,"

ked over,

at kind o

s," I r

To the girl

d. "I li

his face calm, hi

of Liam. But it turns out, the hardest part wa

ze sof

places sometimes. The important thi

ded s

. I'm

t was

broken

n't w

n't b

rebu

ge at

uth at

ice at

shade of lavender, m

message f

ou. Just one las