In the competitive halls of college, Charlie is just another face in the crowd-an introverted girl with a passion for academics and a heart too often overlooked. When Simon Whitlock , the charming yet notorious leader of campus life, unexpectedly as...
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︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶
College was shit.
They say it's all about finding yourself, but all I found was a sea of unfamiliar faces, each more vibrant and self-assured than I could ever hope to be. The sprawling campus was a labyrinth of laughter and camaraderie that I wandered through, lost and unnoticed, like a ghost haunting the fringes of life. Each step felt heavier than the last, the air thick with the echoes of my loneliness.
They would talk about late-night study sessions, spontaneous adventures, and friendships that felt like family. But for me, it was silent halls and empty dorm rooms, days that bled into one another, punctuated only by the occasional glance from someone who had never truly seen me.
Then there was Simon Whitlock, the golden boy of our school-the charming, confident, infuriatingly popular guy who seemed to dance through life with an effortless grace I could never emulate. The leader of a pack that reveled in the pain they inflicted upon the quieter souls, Simon had once been my shadow-a presence I feared more than I cared to admit. But one awful day, with a voice dripping in sarcasm, he turned to me and asked for help with his homework.
Against every instinct screaming in my head, I agreed. Perhaps it was hope or desperation, the slight flicker of a wish that someone-a whisper of anyone-might see me. I never anticipated that this seemingly innocent choice would lead to something so profound and irreversible.
As the weeks melted into months, Simon and I fell into a rhythm I never dreamed possible. He was the glamorous whirlwind that swept through my dull, colorless existence, and I-well, I was the quiet one, tucked away and grateful. With each shared laugh and every hidden glance, I became someone more than just the nerd. I was Charlie, and he was... mine. Our hidden moments transformed into something I cherished deeply-a first love that filled the empty spaces of my heart.
Now, lying beside him, fingers tracing patterns over his bare chest, I felt warmth seep into my bones. The world outside faded, and for a moment, I believed I had found the solace I so desperately craved. But then he shifted slightly, his grip around me tightening as he typed furiously on his phone.
"You know I love you, right? Never forget that," he whispered, and a smile broke across my face, momentarily fluttering with pride. It should have filled me with joy, but instead, a prickling discomfort crept up my spine. Something about the way he said it felt rehearsed, as if the words were less a confession and more an obligation.
He pushed himself off to the bathroom, leaving me enveloped in silence, and I felt that unease bloom into a full-fledged storm. I stared at his phone, the ugly seed of doubt planted squarely in my chest. My heart raced, thrumming thunderously in my ears as I snatched it up, my fingers tingling with trepidation.
What I found shattered the world he had built for me. The messages flickered to life like white-hot knives, carving into the delicate tapestry of our love:
