I didn't expect to say yes.
When Percy texted, it looked like all the others.
Please. Just once. Let's talk properly.
I stared at the message longer than I should have.
Maybe it was curiosity.
Maybe it was closure.
Or maybe… a small part of me still needed to hear him say it.
So I replied.
Okay.
We met after work.
Not at the places we used to go.
Not the café.
Not the road he used to walk me home on.
Somewhere neutral.
Somewhere that didn't belong to us.
When I saw him, something in me shifted.
Not the same way it used to.
It wasn't that pull anymore.
It wasn't warmth.
It was… distance.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi," I replied.
Simple. Careful.
Like we were strangers trying to remember something we used to be.
"I owe you the truth," he said.
I nodded. "You do."
He took a breath, like he had been holding everything in for too long.
"The reason I didn't tell you about my girlfriend…" he started, "was because I really enjoyed our time together."
I stayed quiet.
Listening.
"The walks we shared… the music… everything," he continued. "It wasn't just casual for me."
My chest tightened slightly.
"Slowly, I started realizing that I had fallen for you," he said.
"I didn't even know how it happened."
There it was.
The truth I once wanted.
The truth that came too late.
"Seeing you smile made my day," he added softly. "I loved being with you."
"I loved talking to you. Laughing with you."
I swallowed.
Because I had felt it too.
Every single moment of it.
"When people at work teased us… said we were dating," he let out a small, almost broken laugh,
"I liked it."
That one hurt.
"I didn't want to tell you about my girlfriend because I knew I would lose this… lose you," he said.
"And I couldn't let that happen."
Silence fell between us.
Heavy. Honest.
"But now…" he said, his voice steadier, "I think I know what to do."
I looked at him carefully.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I don't want to keep living like that," he said. "Not confused. Not holding on to two things at once."
"I should have made a choice earlier."
He stepped a little closer.
"And now… I want to."
My heart beat faster.
But I stayed still.
"I meant everything I said," he added. "About you. About us."
I believed him.
That was the hardest part.
"But Percy…" I said softly,
"real doesn't always mean right."
His expression shifted.
Not shocked.
Just… quiet.
"You didn't just hide something small," I continued. "You let me build something with you while someone else was already there."
"That changes everything."
"I know," he said quietly.
"I cared about you," I admitted.
Past tense.
Carefully chosen.
"And maybe a part of me always will."
He looked at me like he was holding onto that sentence.
But I wasn't finished.
"But I've learned how to choose myself now," I said.
"No confusion. No waiting. No sharing."
The silence that followed felt different.
Not painful.
Just… final.
"I'm glad you told me the truth," I added.
"But I needed it when it could have made a difference."
He nodded slowly.
"I understand."
And this time…
It felt like he actually did.
We stood there for a moment.
Two people who had something real…
But not something that could last.
"Take care, Percy," I said.
"You too, Valerine."
And just like that…
We walked away.
In different directions.
For good.