📖 Chapter 1 — You Loved Me First…
CHARACTER ---
AIDEN
The One Who Stayed… Too Long)
Age: 19
Personality: Soft, emotional, caring
Appearance:
Light brown hair
Green eyes (often teary but beautiful)
Gentle, innocent expression
(The bottom)
KAEL
(The One Who Left… Too Late)
Age: 20
Personality: Calm, protective, emotionally reserved
Appearance:
Dark brown/black hair
Deep, sharp eyes
Tall, strong presence
(The Top)
________________________________________
The sunlight filtered softly through the trees, painting everything in shades of gold.
It was the kind of day people fell in love.
…or the kind they remembered what they had lost.
"Why are you crying again?"
His voice was low, almost a whisper, yet it carried a warmth that made it impossible to ignore.
The boy in his arms didn't answer.
Instead, he tightened his grip, fingers clutching the fabric of the other's shirt like it was the only thing keeping him from falling apart.
"I'm not…" he muttered, his voice breaking halfway.
A lie.
A weak one.
The taller boy sighed softly, his hand gently moving to the other's head, fingers sliding into his soft brown hair.
"I can feel it," he said quietly. "You always cry like this… silently."
That only made it worse.
A tear slipped down, unnoticed—or maybe… deliberately ignored.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Just the sound of rustling leaves… and two hearts that didn't know how to stay apart.
"Do you remember…?" the shorter one finally spoke, his voice trembling.
"Hmm?"
"When we first met…"
A faint smile touched the taller boy's lips.
"You mean when you bumped into me and blamed me for it?"
"I didn't blame you!" he protested weakly, pulling back just enough to glare at him.
"You did."
"I was embarrassed!"
"And loud."
"…shut up."
That earned a quiet chuckle.
The kind that used to make everything feel okay.
But today… it didn't.
Because things weren't the same anymore.
They hadn't been for a long time.
The shorter boy lowered his gaze.
"…why did you do it?"
There it was.
The question he had been holding back.
The one that had been eating him alive.
The smile on the taller boy's face faded.
"Do what?"
"Don't pretend." His voice cracked. "You know exactly what I mean."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Painful.
"Why did you leave… without saying anything?"
The words finally came out, raw and broken.
"I waited."
A pause.
"I kept waiting."
Another tear fell, this time impossible to hide.
"And you never came back."
The taller boy's hand froze mid-air.
For a second… just a second…
Something flickered in his eyes.
Regret.
Pain.
Or maybe… something deeper.
"I had to."
The answer was simple.
Too simple.
"…that's it?" the shorter boy whispered, disbelief written all over his face.
"You had to?"
"You wouldn't understand."
"Then make me understand!"
His voice rose, breaking the calm atmosphere around them.
Birds fluttered away.
The golden moment shattered.
"I was there for you!" he continued, his hands shaking now. "Every single time! When you were hurt, when you were angry, when you had no one—"
"I know."
"Then why—"
"Because you were everything."
The words cut through the air.
Sharp.
Unexpected.
Silencing everything.
The shorter boy froze.
"…what?"
The taller one looked away, his jaw tightening.
"That's exactly why I left."
Confusion.
Pain.
Fear.
All mixed together in those green eyes.
"That doesn't make any sense…"
"It does."
"No, it doesn't!" he stepped closer again, desperate now. "If I meant something to you, then you should've stayed!"
A pause.
A breath.
A truth he wasn't ready for.
"…you loved me first."
The world seemed to stop.
Even the wind held its breath.
"And I was too late to realize it."
Those words…
They weren't loud.
They weren't dramatic.
But they shattered something deep inside.
The shorter boy's lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
Because deep down…
He already knew.
"I thought leaving would make it easier," the taller boy continued, his voice quieter now. "For you… and for me."
A bitter smile appeared.
"But I was wrong."
Silence fell between them again.
But this time…
It wasn't empty.
It was filled with everything they never said.
"…so what now?" the shorter boy asked softly.
No anger.
No shouting.
Just… fear.
The taller boy looked at him.
Really looked at him.
Like he was seeing him for the first time again.
"That depends…"
His hand gently lifted, brushing away the tear from the other's cheek.
"…do you still love me?"
The question lingered in the air.
Fragile.
Dangerous.
Unavoidable.
And for the first time…
The answer wasn't easy.
[To be continued…]