It was always the same routine.
Wake up, eat, go to school, and always, always keep your head down.Never draw attention to yourself, because, alone is always better than waiting for someone to leave.
Even if it means there’s no one to see you,
No one to listen to you,
No one to lean on,
No one to love you.
But, it’s alright.
It’s safe.
But….it’s lonely.
It’s messy.
It’s broken.
”Mila?” A voice asks, snapping me back to the present and out of my head.
I look up from my spot under the tree on the bench and see Jack. “Yes?” I study him, trying to figure out what he wants.
”Can I sit with you?” He asks softly.
It catches me off guard, someone choosing to sit with me. “Ummm…sure.” I say after a moment, scooting over on the bench. Jack sits down next to me, not close enough to touch or anything like that, but close enough to know he was there, that I wasn’t alone anymore. It was weird.
But somehow, that became the new normal.
Two quiet souls sitting together, on a bench under an old oak, reading or sketching.
But then quiet breaks turned to quiet, soft conversation.
And slowly, a connection formed.
Quiet inside jokes only we got.
Quiet laughter dancing on the autumn breeze.
A slow, but flowering friendship growing through the crisp air.
Eventually, I grew to love seeing Jack.
How he made me feel…seen in a way I hadn’t for years.
Slowly, my mindset changed.
Maybe being seen wasn’t the worst thing.
After a few months of this…I felt something new form.
How just seeing him made me smile,
How his laugh maybe me feel nervous,
How casual touches made my skin feel on fire.
I was starting to…like him.
And Jack felt the same.
A slow dance here,
A tentative hold on my hand,
A shy smile,
A slight blush.
It reminded me how nice human connection felt.
That alone was nice, but it was better with someone you care about.
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and then Add to home screen.