BRAYDON'S POV
You never really know what someone’s carrying. You never know the battles they’ve fought, the ghosts that still linger, or the parts of their past they hide behind a laugh or a smile. And I’ve realized something, especially here in college, that the ones who smile the brightest often have the deepest, heaviest wounds.
Last night, Katy opened up to me but getting her to stop crying wasn’t easy. It took almost an hour of lying in bed, and holding her, while I whispered to her. Half the time I think I was just talking to myself, hoping she’d latch onto something steady.
Once she finally fell asleep, I thought I could crash too. Nope. My mind wouldn’t shut off. Every word she said kept looping over and over. It pressed down on me in a way I didn’t expect.
So I held her close
