I didn't expect to see him again — not here, not now, and definitely not like this.
He stood across the room, his laughter echoing softly, just like the old days. But what broke me wasn't the sound of his voice… it was the way his hand rested so easily around hers.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Time froze, and every memory we ever made came crashing back like a wave I couldn't stop.
He looked different, yet somehow still the same. His hair was shorter, his eyes calmer. He seemed happier — lighter — as if life had been kind to him while I was stuck trying to forget.
I stood there, invisible, watching the boy I used to love turn into a man I no longer knew.
When his gaze finally met mine, he smiled. That familiar, soft, heart-wrecking smile. The one that used to mean I missed you.
But now, it meant I've moved on.
I smiled back, pretending it didn't hurt. Pretending I wasn't breaking all over again.
Because how do you stand in front of the person who once made you feel like home… and realize you're just a stranger now?
Maybe if I had told him how I felt sooner.
Maybe if I hadn't let my fear win.
Maybe then, he would still be mine.
But life isn't built on maybes.
It's built on moments — and I let mine slip away.
Now, all I can do is watch from afar, while someone else gets to live the life I once dreamed of.
And as much as it hurts to admit it…
I'm too late.