~HOLLY~
The door closes behind him with a sound so soft it shouldn’t hurt.
But it does.
It hurts so much that for a moment, I can’t even breathe.
I stay exactly where I am, sitting on the bed, the sheets still warm, my body still buzzing from something that feels unfinished—cut off mid-breath, mid-heartbeat.
My hands rest uselessly in my lap as I stare at the door, half-expecting it to open again.
Half-hoping.
He doesn’t come back.
The silence stretches, heavy and cruel.
Did I imagine it?
The way he looked at me… the way his voice sounded when he said my name. The way it felt like, just for a little while, I wasn’t invisible or insignificant or just someone’s best friend.
Tears sting my eyes before I can stop them.
I don’t understand.
One minute, he wanted me. I felt it—so str
