Too Late To love her💔💘

CHAPTER SIX

I don’t know what gave me the courage that day.

Maybe it wasn’t courage at all.

Maybe it was exhaustion.

Because loving someone who doesn’t love you back…

It gets heavy.

Too heavy to carry forever.

It was after school when I found him.

Ethan was alone for once, standing near the back field, scrolling through his phone like the world didn’t exist beyond it.

My heart started racing immediately.

This was it.

I could walk away.

Pretend I never felt anything.

Pretend he never mattered.

But my feet moved anyway.

“Ethan…”

My voice was small.

Uncertain.

But he heard it.

He looked up, clearly surprised.

“…You?” he said.

Not my name.

Just that.

I swallowed.

“I need to talk to you.”

He sighed softly, like this was already a burden.

“Make it quick.”

That should have been my sign to leave.

But I didn’t.

“I…” My hands trembled. “I’ve liked you for a long time.”

The words hung in the air.

Too real to take back.

Too late to hide.

Ethan stared at me.

Not shocked.

Not flustered.

Just… blank.

“I know,” he said.

My chest tightened.

“You… know?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “It’s kind of obvious.”

Something about the way he said it made my stomach drop.

Like my feelings were something small.

Something unimportant.

“I just—” my voice broke slightly. “I wanted to tell you properly.”

There was a pause.

And for a second—just a second—I hoped.

But then he laughed.

Soft.

Cold.

“Why?”

That one word hurt more than anything.

“Because…” I struggled. “Because I really care about you.”

He shook his head slightly, almost like he didn’t understand.

“I don’t feel the same.”

The words came out flat.

Simple.

Final.

I nodded quickly, even though it felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“I figured,” I whispered.

“So why say it?” he asked.

I didn’t have an answer.

Or maybe I did.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

“I just wanted to be honest,” I said.

Ethan looked at me for a moment.

Then he sighed again.

“Look,” he said, his tone colder now, “you should stop.”

Stop.

“I’m serious,” he continued. “This whole… thing you have going on? It’s weird.”

Weird.

That word again.

“It makes people uncomfortable.”

People.

Not just him.

Everyone.

My chest felt like it was collapsing.

“I never asked you to like me,” he added.

Each word landed like a weight.

“And I’m not going to pretend just to make you feel better.”

I nodded again.

Because what else could I do?

“Okay,” I whispered.

Silence fell between us.

Heavy.

Awkward.

Painful.

And then—

“I like Lily.”

The world stopped.

“I’m probably going to ask her out,” he said, like it was nothing.

Like I was nothing.

Something inside me shattered completely.

But I smiled.

Because that’s what people do when they’re breaking, right?

“That’s… good,” I said softly.

“Yeah,” he replied, already looking back at his phone. “It is.”

And just like that—

I was dismissed.

Like my feelings were never real.

Like I was never real.

I turned slowly, forcing my legs to move.

Each step felt heavier than the last.

But I didn’t cry.

Not there.

Not in front of him.

Because even in that moment—

Even after everything—

I still loved him.

And maybe…

That was the most painful part of all.