I had always known my cowardice would lead me to nowhere but pain and heartache, but I let myself remain silent because I had hope that he would always be with me.

He had always been with me—and I was naive enough to believe that would remain unchanged.

Now, I understand my ignorance. And now, I understand that I never known pain and heartache until the moment I heard silence.

In truth, the silence had begun lingering by my ear many months ago, and it told me there was only one ending.

I just refused to believe it, and I still clung onto him.

I laid my head on his chest in an attempt to try and keep that last bit of noise with me, but even that rhythmic beating vanished.

I'm left with silence in this room, and the loneliness I had escaped from long ago and the one I believed I would never meet again finally caught me.

Once it got its hold on me, I'm left soaking in the hateful regret of my own silence and cowardly nature—the words I had kept to myself for so many years couldn't remain buried now that I was caught.

"I love you."

And I longed to hear, forever, your unfettered laughter which had chased away the pursuit of silence and kept me company for so long.