I had no choice left but to force myself to sleep…
with a heavy heart.
I knew he didn't care about me.
And maybe… he never would.
After all… I don't deserve to be loved, right?
My friends abandoned me.
My ex abandoned me.
And now… after one whole year of hating men—
when my heart finally started hoping again…
He abandoned me too.
"Oh Kelly… you don't deserve to be loved, baby…"
I whispered to myself as a tear rolled down my cheek.
The room felt too silent.
Too empty.
And my thoughts?
They were louder than ever.
I kept replaying everything in my head—
his words, his tone, the way he talked about her…
like she still mattered more.
After crying for almost an hour,
my eyes started hurting.
But my heart?
It still wouldn't calm down.
So I picked up my phone…
and started scrolling through reels,
trying to distract myself from everything I didn't want to feel.
And then—
I saw him.
Active.
My fingers froze for a second.
I knew I shouldn't text him.
I knew I should just ignore him like I said I would.
But…
I couldn't.
"Are you awake?" I typed.
The reply came quickly.
"Hnn… even you're not asleep."
A small, stupid smile appeared on my face.
Why?
Why does the bare minimum still affect me like this?
"I'm going to sleep," I typed.
But I didn't.
I stayed there.
Waiting.
And after some time…
his message came again.
And suddenly…
He was normal.
Friendly.
Soft.
Like nothing had happened.
Like he didn't just break me a few hours ago.
And I—
I played along.
Maybe I was tired of feeling hurt.
Maybe I just didn't want to lose him completely.
Or maybe…
I was just weak when it came to him.
So, trying to keep things light,
I typed—
"Be my best friend?"
For a second, I stared at the screen, waiting.
My heart was beating faster than it should.
And then—
"Okay."
That's all it took.
Just one word.
And everything changed.
I smiled.
But it wasn't a happy smile.
It was the kind of smile you give
when you accept something you never really wanted.
Because deep down…
I knew my place.
I shouldn't cross my limits.
I shouldn't expect anything more.
After all…
He already has a girlfriend.
And I?
I'm just the girl
who stayed.
To be continue...