𝖨 𝖺𝗆 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀． 𝖯𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝖾 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍 𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖿𝗅𝖺𝗐𝗌 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝖺𝗀𝗋𝖺𝗉𝗁. Thank you in advance

“Are you really leaving?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Gabe looked away, his fingers fumbling with the zipper of his jacket. “Yeah. It’s… it’s not my choice.”

“But you can fight it, right?” I stepped closer, searching his face for anything, anything to hold onto.

He chuckled, dry and humorless. “You know me. I’m terrible at fighting.”

“I’ll fight for you.” My throat burned as the words scraped their way out.

“You shouldn’t have to.” His voice cracked, and for the first time, Gabe wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“I don’t care.” I grabbed his wrist, desperate. “I’ll do anything. Just… don’t leave like this.”

A long pause.

“I have to.”

“No, you don’t!” My voice shot up, trembling. “We promised, Gabe. Remember? ‘An eternity we’ll spend together.’ You made me believe it.”

He sighed, the sound sharp and final. “I believed it too.”

“Then why?” My chest ached so bad I couldn’t breathe. “Why are you breaking it?”

Gabe pulled his hand free, running it through his hair. “Because life’s cruel. And sometimes it takes the people you love most and scatters them across the world like dust.”

“I’m not dust, Gabe.” A tear slid down my cheek before I could stop it.

“I know.” His voice dropped so low I barely heard him.

The clock struck eight. The headlights of a car flashed through the window of the old restaurant.

“I gotta go.”

“Wait — please — one last hug.”

For a moment, I thought he wouldn’t. But then he was in my arms, and everything shattered.

“I’ll miss you, you idiot,” I mumbled into his shoulder.

“I’ll miss you more.” He pulled back, his smile trembling like glass.

And then, just like that — he was gone.