Rebirth

Chapter 7: The Past (7)

Once they started dating officially, everything seemed to fall naturally into place. Meg and Alex quickly developed a routine that made it feel as though they had always belonged to each other.

Every morning, she woke up to his “Good morning” texts—sweet messages filled with emojis, affectionate nicknames, and little reminders to have a great day. She would smile the moment she saw his name appear on her screen, feeling like the luckiest girl alive.

Yet, even in the middle of all that happiness, there was something she couldn’t ignore. She still hadn’t fully opened up to him. She replied to his affectionate messages, laughed at his jokes, listened to his dreams—but whenever it came to expressing deep love, she held back. She never said the words “I love you.”

They talked every day without fail. Alex would call her during his lunch breaks, even if it was just for ten minutes. Those short calls meant the world to her. She would wait eagerly, phone in hand, counting down the minutes.

At night, their conversations stretched longer. They talked about their day, about random childhood memories, about their future together. Sometimes they imagined what their first meeting would be like. Would she be shy? Would he hug her immediately? Would it feel awkward—or perfectly natural?

Their messages were filled with playful teasing. Alex sent her memes and funny videos, determined to hear her laugh. She sent him pictures of quotes she liked or screenshots of songs she was listening to. They even challenged each other to full conversations using only emojis, laughing at how creative—or ridiculous—they sounded.

As the days turned into weeks, their bond deepened. Meg found herself depending on him emotionally. If something upset her, he was the first person she wanted to tell. If something made her happy, she wanted to share it with him immediately.

One quiet night, during one of their usual calls, Alex’s voice softened.

“I love you more than words can say,” he whispered.

Meg froze. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. No one had ever said those words to her with such sincerity. She felt loved—truly loved.

But fear still lingered inside her.

“Thank you,” she replied softly.

There was a brief silence.

“I’ll wait for the day you fully open up to me,” Alex said gently, without pressure or resentment.

His understanding made her chest ache. She realized then how patient he had been with her—how he never forced her to say or feel anything before she was ready.

In that moment, she believed she had found her soulmate in him. They were two imperfect people choosing each other every single day. And although she still had walls around parts of her heart, she knew that slowly, brick by brick, they were coming down.

Their love felt steady, hopeful, and full of promise.

And Meg silently prayed that nothing would ever break what they were building together