Held, But Never Kept

If love was just a moment, would you still choose me-
or was I only ever someone you passed the time with?

Sereia Ailith Jade Villamor had always been the kind of girl who loved quietly-carefully. A writer of feelings she could never say out loud, she hid behind words, routines, and silence. With a mind divided between logic and emotion, she learned to never assume, never expect... and never fall too hard.

Until she met Leighton Sterling Vallañoza.

Leighton-reserved, unreadable, and effortlessly magnetic. A girl who spoke in actions but never in clarity. What started as simple teasing turned into late-night conversations, shared glances, and moments that felt too intimate to be called just friendship. Somewhere in between, Sereia found herself holding onto something unnamed-something fragile.

Something that felt like love.

But love was never certain.

Because when Sereia wasn't around, Leighton found comfort in someone else. Someone easier. Someone who didn't ask questions. And suddenly, everything they had began to feel like a game Sereia didn't know she was playing.

Caught between mixed signals and unspoken truths, Sereia chose to walk away-before she could break even more.

But some distances don't mean the end.

And when time finally forces Leighton to face what she lost, one truth remains:

You can't chase someone... after teaching them how to leave.