The Letter
476 Words
Over the next week—
we got closer.
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Not suddenly.
Not all at once.
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Just… gradually.
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We talked more.
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Mostly online at first.
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But even in school—
things felt easier.
Less tense.
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She wasn’t as quick to avoid me.
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And I wasn’t guessing anymore.
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I had started to understand her.
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The way her voice changed when she was excited.
How her eyes shifted when she was unsure.
The way she tried to hide when she felt down—
but never fully could.
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She was… readable.
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Like a book.
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And all I had to do—
was adjust.
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So I did.
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I read the books she recommended.
Talked about them like I cared.
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Played the part well enough—
that even I started believing it.
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Or at least—
I told myself I did.
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One afternoon, during break—
we were in the library again.
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Same place.
Same quiet.
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We were talking like usual.
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Nothing serious at first.
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Until the topic changed.
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Relationships.
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She hesitated a bit before speaking.
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“I… I heard something,” she said softly.
“About you and… Valentina.”
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I didn’t react immediately.
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Then I answered—
calm.
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“Yeah.”
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A short pause.
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“She broke my heart.”
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She looked down slightly.
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Her fingers tightened around the edge of the table.
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“I… I won’t break yours,” she said quietly.
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I frowned a little.
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“What do you mean?”
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She didn’t answer.
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Instead—
she pulled out a small folded paper.
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Placed it gently in front of me.
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Then stood up quickly.
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“I… I have to go,” she muttered.
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Her words stumbled over each other.
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And before I could stop her—
she picked up her things and hurried away.
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Just like that.
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I looked down at the paper.
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I already knew.
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Still—
I opened it.
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A letter.
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Carefully written.
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A confession.
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Simple.
Honest.
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A love letter.
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From her.
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I stared at it for a while.
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Waiting.
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For something.
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Excitement.
Nervousness.
Anything.
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But nothing came.
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Just… silence.
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Cold.
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That was all I felt.
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Because deep down—
I already knew the truth.
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I didn’t feel anything for her.
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Not really.
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This wasn’t about her.
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It never was.
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It was a plan.
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A step.
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Something I started—
and had to finish.
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And that realization—
didn’t bother me.
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Not anymore.
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The cold had settled in.
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And it ran deeper than I expected.
- Writer
