As I stood by the river, the tranquil sound of flowing water did little to calm the storm raging within me. The weight of my unspoken feelings for Kody pressed heavily on my chest, and I couldn’t contain them any longer. I voiced my frustrations to the open air, believing I was alone.
“I f*****g hate that I’m in love with you, Kody,” I confessed, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and sorrow. “But you still don’t see that I’m the problem. I don’t ever want you to feel that I weaken you, and you just don’t accept that I can’t change that.”
To my shock, a familiar voice responded from behind me, “You love me?”
I spun around, my heart racing, to find Kody standing there, his expression a mixture of hope and vulnerability. Panic surged through me. “You weren’t supposed to hear me!” I ex
