The truth was, I wasn’t sure who I was anymore. I had been so consumed by the pressures of life, by trying to be someone everyone else wanted me to be, that I had forgotten who I was beneath all of it. When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t recognize the person staring back. And now, this relationship with her—this thing that started out so pure—was just another pressure. Another thing I had to figure out, another thing I was afraid of messing up.
"I need to know if this is still what you want," she asked one night, her voice quieter than usual, the words almost swallowed by the silence of the call. I could see her on the screen, her eyes not quite meeting mine, a flicker of doubt shadowing her expression. The vulnerability in her tone sliced through me like a knife, and I felt a lump form in my throat.
What could I say? That I wasn’t sure anymore? That every time she asked me how I was, I didn’t know how to answer because I didn’t know how I felt about anything? That the fear of letting her in had made me push her away?
“I don’t know what I want anymore,” I admitted. My voice felt thick, like I was choking on my own thoughts.
She didn’t respond right away. I could hear the sharp intake of breath through the phone, but she didn’t speak. She didn’t need to.
“I can’t keep doing this, Zayne,” she said finally.“I can’t keep giving more when you’re not willing to give anything.”
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A Different View
Short Story"A Different View" tells the emotional journey of Zayne, a man torn between love and his inner struggles. After meeting someone online and quickly falling in love, Zayne finds himself overwhelmed by his own mental health battles-depression, fear, an...
