The paper felt fragile in my hands, like a dried-up leaf that might crumble if I held it too tight. It was the weirdest, saddest thing I'd ever found.
I've never seen a love like that, so raw and hopeless! My eyes got stuck on the last two words, "Your idiot," reading them over and over until my chest felt all puffy and tight with a grief that wasn't even mine. 'What an idiot girl,' I thought, my heart aching for her.
And then, just like that, tears started spilling over. My vision blurred, and I was left with a whirlwind of questions. Why did he leave? Where did he go? But there was no one in this ghost of a place to answer me. Just the sound of the wind whistling through broken walls.
Right now, I'm standing in what's left of a town that nature decided to erase. A huge earthquake shook everything to the ground thirty years ago. They say no one survived that night. The girl who poured her heart into this letter... she's probably just a memory now, buried under decades of dust. Logically, her life has nothing to do with me.
But my heart wouldn't listen. Who writes a letter to a dead person? Someone with so much love left with no place to put it. Was she really an idiot? Or just the kind of brave I've never been?
"Jen?"
A voice cut through the silence, scattering my thoughts like startled birds. I'd know that voice anywhere—Carl. He's been my crush since I was a gangly teenager, the super cool senior I'd watch from afar in the high school halls. Now, fate has a funny way of working, and he's my co-worker.
"Hey, Carl!" I said, spinning around and hoping my voice didn't squeak. I tried to look casually surprised, like I hadn't just been crying over a stranger's lost love.
He sighed, a deep, tired sound. "We're here for inspection, Ms. Jen Parks! Could you please show us that you can also work and not just stare at old papers?" His frustration seemed to bounce off the crumbling walls around us.
I just nodded, my throat too tight to form words, and pretended to be deeply interested in the clipboard I was holding. Normally, a comment like that would sting, but my brain always turns to mush when he's around. I just can't help it!
Suddenly, I saw him striding—no, almost running—toward me. My mind raced. What did I do now? Was he going to yell? Anyone who didn't know his secretly soft heart would have thought he was coming to scold me properly.
But he didn't. He just gently snatched the letter from my hand, his brow furrowed with concern. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice suddenly soft. Then his thumb, rough from work, brushed a tear from my cheek I thought I'd hidden. His touch was so warm. "Jen, what made you so sad that you're crying like this?" He'd noticed. My cheeks flushed with the ultimate embarrassment.
He then looked down and read the letter. His eyes moved across the page faster than mine had, and when he looked back at me, his gaze was searching, tracing the lines of my face as if looking for a clue. "Why does this have you so upset?" he murmured.
I didn't want to explain. I really didn't. But a wave of fear washed over me—the fear of ending up like the girl in the letter, full of love that was never spoken. And before I could stop myself, the words just tumbled out.
"Carl, I... I have a crush on you!"
His eyes widened in shock, but the dam had broken. I had to get it all out, my voice trembling and rushed.
"I've liked you since we were kids," I continued, my gaze dropping to the ground. "I get flustered when you're near, and I plan my day around maybe seeing you in the office. I don't want to be like her, writing this all down when it's too late. I think... I think I—"
"Jen, stop."
His voice was soft but firm, cutting me off. I braced for the gentle letdown, but instead, his warm hands came up to cradle my face, his thumbs gently wiping away the fresh tears that had started to fall.
"Just... let me talk for a second, okay?" he said, his voice a low, tender murmur. "Do you have any idea what you do to me? For ten years, Jen. For ten years, I've watched you."
My breath hitched. Ten years?
"In school," he continued, his eyes soft with memory, "you were this perfect mix of sweetness. The most studious one in class, yet the absolute naughtiest out of it! I'd watch you play those silly pranks, digging little pits for others, only to be the clumsy one who fell in yourself moments later." A warm chuckle escaped him. "But you know what amazed me? You never cried or made excuses. You'd just smile that brilliant, sunny smile of yours, brush off your knees, and take all the responsibility. It was impossible to stay mad at you. It warmed everyone up... and it definitely warmed my heart."
I felt my cheeks grow warm, remembering those clumsy, carefree days.
"I chose this university," he confessed, his gaze intense, "because I overheard you once telling a friend it was your dream school. I took this job because I heard you mention you looked up to this company. Every big decision I've made... it's always led me back to you."
He leaned his forehead against mine, his eyes closed as if gathering courage.
"I've spent so long hiding behind these feelings, building a wall because you never seemed to see me as anything more than your old senior. I convinced myself that just being near you, making sure you were happy and safe, would have to be enough for me. Because your happiness... it's the most important thing to me."
He pulled back just enough to look directly into my eyes, his own gaze blazing with a sincerity that stole the air from my lungs.
"Now, when I hear you have a crush on me! I know I can't contain my feelings anymore," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion, "you were never the only idiot here. I love you, Jen. I have always loved you. And if you'll have me, we aren't going to be like the people in that letter. Ever. We're going to be us. Right here, starting now."
That was all it took. A sob of relief mixed with overwhelming joy escaped me, and I surged forward, hugging him tightly. He held me just as close, one hand tangled in my hair, the other a steady, warm pressure on my back.
"Really?" I whispered into his jacket, my voice muffled.
"Really," he confirmed, his own voice laced with awe and relief. "My beautiful, wonderful idiot."
We just stood there for long moments, holding each other in the middle of that ruined place, the past's sorrow making our future feel all the more precious.
Later, when our work was finally done, I paused before leaving. I carefully folded the old letter and placed it back where I found it, safe in a little nook in the wall. I turned and gave a small, grateful bow to the broken house and the ghost of the girl whose sad story gave us our happy beginning.
"Thank you," I whispered. "For giving me the courage I didn't have."
I'd been an idiot, too, holding onto my feelings for years. But now, I'm so incredibly glad my fear lost its voice today.
"Carl! Wait up!" I shouted, a giggle escaping as I scrambled after him. He was already walking ahead, but he stopped and turned, holding his hand out for me with a smile that made my heart do a happy little flip.
"We're supposed to head back to the camp first, you know!" I said, finally catching up and slipping my hand into his. It felt so right, like two puzzle pieces clicking together.
"I know," he said, swinging our hands gently between us. "But I've waited ten years to walk beside you, Jen. I'm not starting now by walking ahead."
As we walked away from the ruins, hand in hand, I knew our story was just beginning. And it was going to be a good one.
"Next time, the Other Idiot!" I whispered as I felt the remains were now far enough to vanish from sight.