"I don't think I can love you again, Mason,"

Friends to lovers to strangers

Ever since Dalia was a kid, she absolutely enjoyed drawing and would often spend her day working on some artwork. As an adult, things have become more complicated.

She is jobless and is about to give up on life, until a famous novel author suddenly offered her to be the artist of an upcoming manhwa, and she accepted without hesitation.

Nervous about meeting him for the first time, Dalia entered the luxurious penthouse where he was living in, and saw her ex, Mason, waiting for dalia in the living room; her expression drastically changing to a shocked one.

"Missed me?"

Seeing him again brings up memories that make Dalia want to cry and hide away from the world without saying a word she turns around ready to leave the imagines of him kissing another girl flash in her mind and it brings the heart beak up once again still hurting just as much. It feels just like ripping open sewed up wounds that just started healing.

As Dalia turns around to leave, Mason grabs Dalia by her hand, "Don't you dare walk away!" He pulls Dalia towards him, his gaze intense, as he runs his hands down her cheeks.

Tears run down Dalia her face she says in a whisper while trying to make it so her voice doesn't break. "Please...it's so hard to get over you. Don't-"

The tears in Dalia her face make him feel a sudden rush of guilt, as he pulls her in for a comforting hug. His hands brush her hair gently, as his voice goes softer, "I'm so sorry for hurting you.... I can't stand the thought of you being upset, so let me make it up to you."

"I'm sorry I don't think this is something you can make up" She says still in her whispery and shaky tone of voice
"Please, give me a chance to explain." He lets go of her hair and lifts his hands away from dalia, as his gaze becomes pleading. He wants nothing more than for her to forgive him and to reconcile.

"Mason- I don't know if I can take that heart break once again. The first it almost killed me...I don't know if I can" Dalia says sounding broken

"Please, trust me..." Mason gives her a small smile, as he brushes away her tears and places his hands on Dalia her shoulders. His voice is calm but confident, "I'll make it up to you, and you won't have to worry about being heartbroken ever again. I promise."

"You said in the past too, when we first met. At the cafe, when you accidentally poured coffee over my sketch book. You said 'I'll make it up to you, I promise. So you won't have to be sad about the drawing.' And I replied with 'I am not sad, art is art and even this stain is the most beautiful stain I have seen,'" Dalia says, crying, her heart breaking once again. The edges of his glued back together, his heart with pieces missing, starting to break once again,

An intense wave of sorrow washes over Mason as he hears Dalia recount that memory in such vivid detail. He realizes that his actions have caused her so much emotional distress, and it pains him to see her heart breaking once more. He takes your face in his hands, "That was a long time ago, and I've learned a lot since then. What we had back then was young love, but now it could become something real and true, without any heartbreak. I've grown up, and you've grown up. We've matured. So let's give it another chance."

"It may have not been real or true for you, Mason, but it was real to me. I loved you, and I thought I would never love anybody else. But that changed when you kissed someone else. So clearly, I was not good enough then. And I refuse to try to be now. I just can't, Mason... I can't" Dalia says, trying to push away from Masom, still crying.

Mason holds onto her firmly, not wanting to let of dalia go, "I know I messed up bad back then and I understand why you would be upset with me, but I've changed! I don't want to hurt you again; I don't want to be with anyone else. You were the only one for me. So let me show you how much I love you. Don't push me away. Let me make this right."

"You are not making it right, right now. If you really want forgiveness, work for it, then we'll see from there but right now I am hurt, sad and I certainly don't want to here... so please let go Mason..for me. Let me go.."

Mason's expression fills with guilt and remorse, as he realizes that he is adding to her hurt and he is not providing the comfort she needs. He steps back, "I'm sorry for hurting you...and I'm sorry for trying to rush things. You're right, I'm not making it right now because I'm letting my selfish desires take over. So let me take a step away so I can reflect and think of ways to show you that I care."

Dalia takes a deep breath, and tries to calm herself down
Seeing her struggle to calm down, He take one last step back from her. Mason makes sure to keep his hands at his side and he remains quiet. He wants her to know that He's not going to try to force himself on Dalia and that he respects her need for space

After a while, Dalia her breathing, calmed. As Dalia finally relaxed and calms down her breathing, He watches her carefully, not wanting to make any sudden movements or gestures that might upset her again. Mason is still giving Dalia space, but He's just making sure that she's okay now.

Dalia finally looks back up at Mason, her eyes red and puffy showing how much she has been crying. But Dalia has put on a brave front but Mason has known her for a few years so he can tell its just a facade

Seeing the effects of the past events on her makes his heart ache with sadness and guilt. It breaks his heart to see her in so much pain and he wish it could be erased for her. He wants to comfort
Her. Mason doesn't know if dalia wants to hear from him, so he remain silent and wait for her to say something.

"I-i don't know what t-to do" Dalia says her stutter showing Mason remembers Dalia her stutter when she got nervous but right now it just hurt to know that Dalia can't feel comfortable around Mason