Chapter 2: Love that didn't know it was ending.
517 Words
The sun was setting when Gregory saw her.
Skylar Suman stood by the roadside, arguing with a stubborn taxi driver, her brows slightly furrowed, her voice calm but firm.
“I already told you, that’s not the price we agreed on.”
The driver shrugged. “Madam, traffic is not my fault.”
Gregory couldn’t help it.
He smiled.
For a brief moment, everything heavy inside him disappeared.
He walked toward her quietly, slipping back into the version of himself that only existed around her.
“Still negotiating like your life depends on it?” he said.
Skylar turned, startled—then her expression softened instantly.
“Gregory.”
There it was.
That look.
That warmth.
And suddenly, the promise he made felt like a lie he hadn’t yet confessed.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, stepping closer.
“Looking for you,” he replied without thinking.
She laughed lightly. “Liar.”
“Okay… maybe I just got lucky.”
The driver drove off, muttering under his breath, but neither of them noticed anymore.
Because in that moment, it was just the two of them.
“Walk with me?” Gregory asked.
Skylar tilted her head slightly. “You’re asking, not ordering? That’s new.”
“I’m learning.”
She studied him for a second, as if sensing something different.
But then she nodded.
“Alright.”
They walked side by side, the quiet kind of silence that didn’t need to be filled.
Skylar spoke first.
“You’ve been distant lately.”
Gregory’s jaw tightened slightly.
“I’ve just been… dealing with family stuff.”
She stopped walking.
“Gregory.”
He turned to face her.
“I know you,” she said softly. “And this isn’t just ‘family stuff.’”
For a moment, he almost told her everything.
The promise.
Bryma.
The future that was already decided.
But the words stayed stuck in his throat.
Instead, he forced a small smile.
“I’ll be fine.”
Skylar didn’t look convinced.
But she didn’t push further.
That was who she was—she gave space, even when she deserved answers.
And that made the guilt worse.
They reached a quiet spot overlooking the water.
Skylar leaned against the railing, watching the waves.
“Do you ever feel like life can change without asking you first?” she asked.
Gregory let out a quiet breath.
“Every day.”
She glanced at him.
“Then promise me something.”
His chest tightened again.
“Don’t shut me out… no matter what happens.”
The irony hit him instantly.
Because he already had.
And she didn’t even know it.
Gregory looked at her—really looked at her.
At the person he was about to hurt without meaning to.
“…I promise,” he said.
And that was the second promise he made…
That he would eventually break.
Skylar smiled, satisfied.
And Gregory felt it again.
That quiet destruction.
Because standing beside her, holding her hand, pretending everything was still okay…
felt more painful than losing her.
And yet…
He still said nothing.
- Writer
