Here I was, convinced that love was something I'd never allow myself to fall into. I truly believed it was a waste of time and energy-an illusion that left people empty. I had seen too many women become love-drunk, so wrapped up in someone else that they forgot who they were. I promised myself I would never be like that. I swore I wouldn't walk the same path my mother did, a path that led straight to self-destruction. But then I saw you. You stood there, glowing with a light so fierce it was almost blinding. You shone so brightly that I swore if I reached out to touch you, I'd burn. And yet, despite the danger, despite every warning I had carved into my heart, I couldn't stay away. Something inside me shifted, cracked open, and suddenly the thought of distance between us felt unbearable.

"You can't see the future. I might have a chance. You don't know for sure." He mumbled, making her expression soften. "M-my mom used to tell me t-that birds still sing even after a storm. Why shouldn't people feel as free t-to delight in whatever sunlight remains to them?" Samir stopped talking for a moment to regather himself so that he didn't stutter, but Nina froze completely. "You don't have to settle with him Nina. It's been five years an-and you're not a-as happy as you should be. You smile differently with me.. and you cry a lot with him. I just think that you deserve to enjoy your time with someone other than h-him for a minute because there's still sunlight out there for you too, even if you can't see it yet." How did he become her source of 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 so 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲? A short story.