Ann sat by the window of her apartment, watching the gray clouds roll across the sky.
The rain pattere softly against the glass, creating a rhythmic backdrop to the whirlwind of thoughts racing through her mind.
It had been months since she do met Tobias, months since he had slowly chipped away at the walls she had built around herself. His kindness, his patience, his belief in her , it all felt like a light she hadn't realized she had been searching for.
But lately, something inside her had started to shift.
The warmth of his presence, which once felt like a balm for her aching heart, now felt like a tether, anchoring her to a version of herself that she was read to leave behind.
Ann knew Tobias meant well, but she couldn't help but wonder if she had been relying on him to fill the gaps in her life that only she could fill.
She ran a hand through her hair, her fingers trembling slightly.
She had come a long way she had started taking those art classes, made new friends, begun to carve out a life that wasn't defined by her family or her past.
But now, there was this weight, this quiet voice in her head that told her she needed to take the next step alone.
She had to learn how to stand on her own two feet without leaning on anyone even if its Tobias.
Her phone buzzed from the table.
She hesitated before picking it up. It was a message from Tobias:
"Hey, I was thinking about grabbing lunch today. Would love to see you. Let me know if you're free."
Ann stared at the message,
The reading of her heartbeat changed, making her heart to palpitate a little.
She wanted to see him. She missed him in a way she couldn't quite describe.
But the pull and mind to grow, to become her own person, had become stronger.
She could feel his (Tobias) presence even when they were not together .
The lovingly texts that he sent to her , the coffee breaks, the quiet support he gave her had turned into a crutch .
She hadn't realized how much she had come to rely on him until now. And that frightened her.
She looked out the window again, the rain falling harder now, blurring the world outside.
"I can't keep doing this,"
she whispered to herself, her voice barely above a breath.
She typed a response:
"I'm sorry, Tobias. I can't make it today. Something came up."
She looked at the screen for a long time , wondering if the words felt in easy for Tobias .
But they didn't.
They felt right.
It was time. She had to move forward, even if it meant doing it alone.
The thought was terrifying.
She had grown so used to him being a part of her life, to the way he had made her feel seen in a way no one else had.
She thought of the long walks they had taken, the conversations that stretched into the night, the way he do gently encouraged her to trust herself, to take chances. But all that had become intertwined with her own sense of self-worth, and she couldn't keep leaning on him to be the source of her confidence.
Ann stood up and walked over to her small desk, where her art supplies lay scattered across the surface.
She hadn't touched them in a few days, too preoccupied with thoughts of Tobias, too tangled in the warmth of his presence.
But now, in this moment, she knew what she had to do.
She needed to take a step back from him, to stand alone in her own life and let herself become something more than the girl who relied on someone else to feel whole.
Maybe one day they would find their way back to each other, but right now, she had to let go of the comfort he offered.
She had to face the world on her own terms.
Ann picked up a brush, dipping it into a fresh color. The strokes came slowly at first, tentative, like she was learning to trust herself again.
She worked the brush over the canvas, watching the colors swirl and mix. She didn't know what the painting would become, but it didn't matter. It was her creation, her decision, her moment of independence.
And in that moment, for the first time in a long time, Ann felt a strange kind of peace.
She didn't need Tobias.
Not right now.
She needed her.
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