BIBLE
Three years ago
Bible lay perfectly still, feigning sleep as he watched Build through barely opened eyes. He could see the silent struggle on his lover's face, the way he tried to hold back tears while gently brushing Bible's forehead with a kiss.
The whispered apologies tore at Bible's heart, but he stayed still, suppressing the urge to reach out, to hold him and tell him that he understood.
As he lay there, Bible's mind screamed at him to stop this.
But he couldn't—he wouldn't. If he opened his eyes now, he knew he would beg Build to stay, and he couldn't bear to hold him back.
This was Build's dream, the one he'd always put before everything else.
No one came before their dreams; Build had made that clear long ago.
When Build kissed his forehead one last time and walked away, Bible felt the silence crash over him like a wave.
He didn't open his eyes until he heard the door click shut.
The room felt empty in a way he'd never known before, and that was when he let the tears come.
He sat up and let his gaze wander around the apartment they had shared, his eyes landing on the letter Build had left on the balcony.
He couldn't bring himself to read it yet; maybe he never would. Instead, he reached under his pillow, pulling out a small blue box he had hidden there, containing an engagement ring he had never gotten the chance to give.
Holding the ring tightly, Bible sank into the quiet, broken only by his soft sobs. "I'll wait for you, Build," he whispered to the empty room, even as his heart felt shattered beyond repair.
---The next morning, Bible woke at 7:20, but opening his eyes brought only a fresh wave of pain. He missed Build already, and the emptiness weighed heavily on him.
He dragged himself to the shower, where he broke down again, crying as the water washed over him, struggling to breathe past the suffocating ache in his chest.
He finally picked up Build's letter, his hands trembling as he read the words.
It hurt even more to see the love and sorrow behind each sentence.
Knowing Build had forced himself to do this, to leave, made it all feel even harder to bear.
Outside, he hoped some fresh air might help ease the pain, but everything only reminded him of Build. Today marked the start of summer, a season that once held so much meaning for them.
Every summer, they had made memories together—beach dates, picnics, watching sunsets side by side. But this summer was different.
Today, the sun didn't shine for him; instead, rain poured down from a grey sky, mirroring the emptiness he felt inside.
As the raindrops soaked him, he wandered through the streets, feeling numb.
Eventually, he found himself sitting by the roadside, letting the rain mix with his tears.
The pain was too much, but he couldn't bring himself to scream, though his heart was screaming for him.
Just as he felt he couldn't take it anymore, he felt the shelter of an umbrella above him.
His heart leapt with a desperate hope—had Build come back? But when he looked up, it wasn't Build standing there.
"Wanna grab a drink?" a familiar voice asked.
It was Us, a friend, but not his Build.
Bible's heart sank.
Even the comforting words of a friend couldn't reach him, not on this summer day that had become so unbearably cruel.
