The Reason of Her Death

She says it loud enough for everyone to hear: “This is my boyfriend.” Time stumbles. People look. Whispers start. And I… forget how lungs work for a solid five seconds. Lena beams, like she just conquered Mount Everest and planted her flag on top. Her flag has freckles, dark hair, and is currently sweating through his T-shirt. “Just so we're clear,” she adds, smirking like she could melt steel, “he's taken.” Somewhere down the hall, someone whistles. Someone else mutters, “No way.” And me? I'm just standing there, holding her hand like it's the only thing keeping me bound to Earth. I've never been anyone's anything before. Now I'm Lena Carter's boyfriend. And the whole hallway knows it. --- Ash Bennett met Lena Carter when they were five. Two stubborn kids fighting over crayons. He thought she was annoying. She thought he was a fungus. Neither of them knew that a silly childhood argument would become the beginning of something neither could ever forget. Years passed. They grew up, fell in love, made promises, and learned that growing up wasn't nearly as easy as they imagined. But some stories aren't written the way we want them to be. Now a world-renowned author, Ash has everything he once dreamed of, except the one person he would trade it all for. And when the past refuses to stay buried, he finds himself facing the one story he has spent years trying not to tell. A story about growing up, falling in love, losing yourself, and the people who leave pieces of themselves behind. Because some love stories don't end. They just change shape.