𝗧𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝘁 (𝘚𝘢𝘱𝘯𝘢𝘱)

𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲

Real Life!

Sapnap sat there, reading and rereading the letter, groaning in frustration. How could his ex-friends have done that to one of the sweetest girls he had ever had the blessing of knowing? It was like they had no idea the impact their actions had on her, or worse, they just didn't care. Every word from Taylor's letter weighed heavy on his chest, reminding him of how much he missed her and how broken things had become. He'd hoped time would heal the wounds, but all it did was make the distance between them more unbearable.

A knock on the door snapped him out of the little world he always trapped himself in when a new letter arrived. He blinked, pulling himself back to the present.

"Sap, you okay in there, or just jerking off?" his roommate joked, the familiar sound of his signature wheeze-filled laughter slipping through the cracks of the door and creeping into the room.

Nick tried to suppress a laugh but couldn't hold it in. "No, you asshat. I'm reading Taylor's newest letter." He shook his head, though there was a bit of a smile on his face, even as frustration lingered beneath it.

Dream opened the door and plopped down on the floor beside Sapnap's office chair, his expression a mix of amusement and concern.

"Dude, why don't you just tell her on a stream that you want to see her? You wanna talk, don't you?" Dream leaned back, crossing his arms as if the solution was that simple.

And maybe it was. But the weight of everything that had happened between them, the lies, the secrecy, he couldn't do it. Not to her. Not again.

"You know why I can't." Sapnap's voice came out quieter than he intended, laced with the exhaustion that came from carrying the weight of his mistakes. "I'm just lucky she still claims to love me after all this time." He rubbed his eyes, fighting off the sting of frustration and guilt.

Every word Taylor had written agitated him more, not because of her, but because it reminded him of the truth, he was keeping locked away. The real reason they broke up. The reason he couldn't just show up on a stream, as if things could be fixed with a few words and a heartfelt apology.

He wanted to tell her everything. To explain why things had fallen apart the way they did. But that meant reopening old wounds, wounds she didn't deserve to be burdened with again. Sapnap leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

"I just want to tell her the truth," he muttered. But the truth was messy, and he wasn't sure if she could ever forgive him if she knew.

Dream glanced up at him, understanding in his eyes, but there wasn't much else to say. They both knew that some things were harder to fix than others, especially when it came to matters of the heart. 

Taylor was one of a kind. There was no denying that. She had a way about her that was both gentle and fierce, a blend of kindness and strength that made her stand out from everyone Sapnap had ever known. She wasn't just another girl in his life, she was the girl. 

The one who saw him for more than just the persona he portrayed online. She understood him in a way no one else did, which made losing her feel like he had lost a part of himself.

Dream knew that better than anyone. From the very beginning, he had seen how special Taylor was, not just to Sapnap but to everyone who crossed paths with her. That's why, when things started to go downhill, Dream fought tooth and nail to keep them together. 

He had watched from the sidelines as Sapnap's relationship with Taylor slowly unraveled, but he knew deep down it wasn't supposed to end like that. It didn't need to end at all. It didn't need wrecking in the first place.

"Man, I told you," Dream had said a hundred times back then, in the thick of it all. "You're letting other people get in your head. Stop listening to all the noise and just talk to her. Fix it before it's too late."

But back then, Sapnap hadn't listened. He couldn't see past the rumors, the drama, and the pressure from people he thought were his friends. They had whispered in his ear, made him second-guess everything, until eventually, he started believing the lies. 

Believing that maybe he wasn't good enough for Taylor. That she deserved someone better, someone who wasn't constantly wrapped up in the chaos of his online world. And before he knew it, things between them had shattered, seemingly beyond repair.

Dream had tried. He had stood by Sapnap's side, urging him to reconsider, to fight for Taylor the way she deserved to be fought for. But the damage had been done. Miscommunication, doubts, and the influence of ex-friends with their own agendas had torn the couple apart. And while Dream had always been the voice of reason, telling Sapnap not to push Taylor away, it hadn't been enough to stop the inevitable breakup.

Now, every time Sapnap received another letter from Taylor, Dream could see the weight of regret etched on his friend's face. He could see how much Sapnap still cared, still loved her, and how helpless he felt knowing that the relationship he let slip through his fingers didn't need to be broken in the first place.

"I tried to warn you," Dream had said more than once, though his tone was never harsh. He wasn't one to rub salt in the wound, but the truth was the truth. He had been there, watching it all unfold like a car crash in slow motion, and he had fought hard to stop it.

The worst part was, Taylor had never done anything to deserve what had happened. She had always been supportive, always understanding, even when Sapnap's life grew more chaotic by the day. She had stood by him through it all, and in return, she had been dragged through the mud by people who never really knew her. People Sapnap had once considered friends.

Now, those "friends" were long gone, but the scars they had left on his relationship with Taylor still lingered. Every letter she sent was a bittersweet reminder of what they had lost, and of what they might still have, if only Sapnap could find the courage to reach out to her again.

"I tried, man," Dream said softly, pulling Sapnap out of his thoughts. "I tried to save it back then because I knew how much she meant to you. And she still does."

Sapnap nodded, the frustration and longing in his chest mixing with guilt. He knew Dream had been right all along. Taylor was one of a kind, and he'd been too blind to see it when it mattered most.