It Was Already Too Late 💔

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Chapter 11: The Things We Never Say

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Three weeks passed.

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Ethan had changed.

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Not suddenly.

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Not perfectly.

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But enough for people to notice.

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He stopped making jokes at Maya's expense.

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He stopped trying to impress his friends.

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And when someone made a cruel comment about another student, Ethan was the first person to tell them to stop.

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Maya noticed.

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She didn't say anything.

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She simply watched.

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One afternoon, Ethan found her sitting alone beneath the tree.

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“Can I sit here?”

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Maya looked up.

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“Sure.”

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He sat a few feet away.

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For a while, neither of them spoke.

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Then Ethan noticed the notebook in her hands.

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“Still writing?”

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Maya smiled.

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“Always.”

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“What are you writing about?”

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“Things I never say out loud.”

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Ethan looked at her.

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“Like what?”

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She closed the notebook.

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“Things I'm afraid people won't understand.”

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“I'd like to understand.”

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Maya studied his face.

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“You really want to?”

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“Yes.”

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She hesitated.

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Then she said quietly, “I was angry at you for a long time.”

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“I know.”

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“I hated seeing you.”

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“I know.”

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“I hated myself for still caring about you.”

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Ethan looked down.

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“And now?”

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Maya took a breath.

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“Now I'm trying to forgive myself.”

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“For what?”

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“For loving someone who hurt me.”

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Ethan's chest tightened.

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“You don't have to forgive yourself for that.”

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“I know that now.”

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She smiled sadly.

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“I just wish I'd known it sooner.”

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Ethan wanted to reach for her hand.

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But he didn't.

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He knew better now.

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Instead, he said, “I'm glad you know it now.”

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Maya looked at him.

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“So am I.”

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A gentle silence settled between them.

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Then Ethan smiled.

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“You know, you never actually told me why you liked me.”

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Maya laughed softly.

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“I don't even know anymore.”

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“Was it my amazing personality?”

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She laughed.

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“No.”

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“My incredible looks?”

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“Definitely not.”

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Ethan laughed.

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For the first time, Maya laughed with him.

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Not because she was trying to impress him.

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Not because she was afraid of losing him.

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Just because something was genuinely funny.

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And Ethan realized how much he had missed that sound.

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That evening, Maya returned home and opened her notebook.

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She wrote:

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Today, I laughed with him.

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She paused.

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Then added:

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But this time, I didn't lose myself.

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She closed the notebook and smiled.

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Across town, Ethan sat by his bedroom window.

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He opened his own notebook.

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There was only one sentence on the page.

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Maybe some people come into your life to teach you how to love.

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He stared at it.

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Then he added:

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And maybe Maya came into mine to teach me how to become a better person.

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Neither of them knew what tomorrow would bring.

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For the first time, though, they weren't trying to control the future.

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They were simply grateful for today.

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And sometimes...

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Today is all we have.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPNNhV1rRQ

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