e's

uttered. "In the house.

ers all seemed to collapse into a heavy silence. The air inside Café Brago thickened, pressing in aroun

red a

ing. Not

slightly over the porcelain handle, but I remained motionless. My joints

s did not l

the table, on the floor, o

n her seat. She appeared... lighter, as if she had just

she said, reach

t? No explanati

e that I'm

felt like sandpaper, my chest lock

se. Her hands fidgeted for a second be

fload the weight o

tu

like that

ching as she walked away. She didn't look back. Not once. Her dress c

math of her revelation, until a s

Are you

, her tray loosely held at her side. She must have noticed me sittin

ce caught i

hard. "Yes

she nodded anyway and stepped

I rose slowly, as if my body had aged in minutes, each movement stiff with the weight of her confession. My coat felt heavier now a

t of Café Brago and into the thinning a

y everything fell apart. I barely recalled the elevator ride to the executive wing of the hotel. My body moved on its own, numb

the hotel its name. My hand trembled as I unlocked the door and stepped int

the on

My blood.

a silent traitor. My chest felt hollow, as if someone had scooped the air out and left just weight. It wasn't an

taring at the ceiling. That's wh

and she swapped my cue cards with a handwritten list of boy names and "secret crushes." I stood in front of th

t?" I had cried later

You take things too serio

she lived in a different mora

of Grandma Kathrine's old beach house during summer. We

ving her wet fingers. "Not like a movie s

ady are,"

lways polite. Always safe. Teachers love you, boys w

not a si

g back. "But I'd rather be

lf-serious. I should've known. Or maybe I did. Maybe part of me always knew what she

omforter over my legs as the memories

t aloud. My dreams. My insecurities. My deepest, most private thoughts about Nathan. Each word

screamed later, tears streaking my cheeks un

pretend to be perfect? Like nothing can touch you. L

not an

voice sharp and bitte

ome kind of emotional honesty. She n

ced-one I had long buried. It was the night before our high school graduation. We were o

you someday?" Julia had asked

aybe," I said, s

k he'd ever get

nfused. "What's tha

re safe. He likes it safe. But men l

ink you're

ing red from the distant

now? Now the weight of those words settled heavily in my chest. Was it always there

t the bracelet again. The engraving

s. Her prid

e, offer a different story. But the truth had already been spoken. An

e room spun gently, blurring into shadows and old pain. I needed

nking, I reache

ctoria

n my screen li

ed-then moved

s late... but I need to t