The Scenery Calms Down

It felt like fate was playing tricks on me, throwing me into a scene I never thought would become real. So that's just how he is with everyone-casual, effortless, like it's second nature for him to make someone feel special. He was just a gentleman-nothing else meant, nothing more. Everything was just a misunderstanding, nothing deeper than that.

But how do I unsee the way his eyes softened when he looked at me? How do I forget the way his laugh seemed just a little different when I was the one making him smile? The late-night messages, the way he always seemed to be there, the way he made me feel like I was special-was it really just in my head?

It hurts to want more when I have no right to, stuck in this casual thing where I can't ask for clarity, can't demand exclusivity, and can't even be upset-because we were never really something to begin with.

This is unrequited love, after all. No one believes it's mutual except for me, the fool who keeps holding onto something that was never there. I keep reading into every glance, every touch, every lingering moment, convincing myself it means something more. But it doesn't. It never did.

I should walk away. I know I should. But how do you walk away from something that was never really yours?