When The Worlds Collide Again

Gavin Camden‚ He was my best friend. The kind of friend who made the world feel safe just by being in it. We didn't grew up side by side, but we shared silly dreams, and found comfort in the small, quiet moments.

But when college came, life pulled us apart. I don't even remember how it happened-we just stopped talking. And eventually, he was gone.

Years passed. I told myself it didn't matter. I told myself I was fine.

But I wasn't.

Somewhere along the way, I started breaking in ways no one could see. Whenever I felt invisible, unheard, or unloved, I'd hurt myself-physically, quietly, secretly.
I didn't know how else to make the pain stop. I just wanted to feel something that I could control.

And then, one day, he came back.

Older. Softer. Still him.

At first I didn't know how to face him. I didn't want him to see the mess I had become. But he saw me-really saw me. And for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel the need to hide. With him, the world slowed down. The noise quieted. The ache softened. He didn't just make me feel heard. He made me feel like I mattered.

And slowly, I started to believe it. Maybe the cure was never something I could find in myself.

Maybe it was him... all along.

- Maraya Adeline Cruz