(Ethan)
“I miss you.”
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
For several seconds after saying them, I found myself wondering whether I should have kept them to myself.
Not because they weren’t true.
Because they were.
Painfully true.
The problem with honesty was that once it existed in the open, there was no taking it back.
No pretending it hadn’t happened.
No hiding behind excuses.
The words settled between Clara and me while students continued moving across the courtyard around us, completely unaware that my entire world seemed to be balanced on her next response.
Clara didn’t answer immediately.
The hesitation hurt more than I expected.
Not because she was being cruel.
Because there was a time when she wouldn’t have needed to think about it.
There was a time wh
