You Promised You Wouldn't Leave

Matt falls in love easily.

With Alyssa's smile.
With her routines.
With the way she fills the quiet.

What begins as something gentle-walks to class, shared meals, late-night movies-slowly becomes something heavier. Matt needs her presence the way he needs air, and Alyssa, hollow-eyed and distant, lets herself be loved even when she isn't sure she can love back.

As promises are made and broken, and silence grows louder than words, Matt learns that loving someone doesn't always mean being loved in return.

And sometimes, the scariest thing isn't being left-
it's being stayed with for the wrong reasons.