In my ordinary little world, nothing ever really changed. Days passed like pages in an uneventful book. But one chapter stood out—her name was **Yuri**.
She was my neighbor.
Nothing dramatic ever happened between us, no cinematic moments or magical confessions. But every time I looked at her, it was as if gravity pulled me in. Not the kind that drags you down—but the kind that holds planets in orbit. **She was my north**.
At first, I thought her smile was just polite. You know—the kind you give to neighbors when you pass them on the stairs. But as time slipped by and we talked more often, I swear it changed. The way she looked at me, the way her laughter lingered a bit longer around me—it started to feel like there was something more.
And in my head, I believed it.
But the "what if" kept haunting me. *What if I'm wrong? What if she's just being kind?* I wanted to know. I needed to know. And so, I made a plan.
I reached out to my friend **Saimon**, who had been trying (and failing) to charm Yuri's friend. He had already sensed my crush long before I admitted it—he was annoyingly good at that sort of thing.
I told him everything. Every thought, every hope, every doubt.
Since he was already well-connected, I asked him to help me indirectly. The plan was simple: He'd talk to Yuri's friend, who would casually ask Yuri if she liked me. No confessions. No risks. Just information.
Yes or no.
I knew it was probably immature. Part of me doubted involving a friend. But by that point, Saimon was already too deep in the mission to turn back.
While Saimon worked behind the scenes, I tried to go about my day like everything was normal. I told myself, *If it's a yes, great. If it's a no… fine.* But inside, I was a little excited. Just a little.
Maybe this would be the day everything changed.
When Saimon finally called me over, I could tell something was up. His grin was too wide to be subtle.
"She said yes," he told me, slapping me on the back like I'd just won a gold medal. "Yuri said she likes you."
For a moment, I didn't even know how to react. I didn't imagine what would happen next. I didn't plan the next move. I just stood there, wrapped in warmth that filled my chest. **She liked me.**
I left his house with a smile that wouldn't disappear, heading to my favorite little store down the block, already dreaming about what our first real conversation might be like now that the air was clear.
But the story wasn't over.
As fate would have it, I ran into Yuri just outside the store.
Her eyes were sharp—not like usual. Her smile wasn't gentle. She looked furious, though trying hard to stay composed.
"Did you ask my friend to ask me something?" she asked, her voice low but trembling slightly.
"N–No! I don't know what you're talking about…" I said—terrified and embarrassed.
Panic overtook logic, and I pulled out my phone, pretending to call Saimon just to escape the situation. Like an idiot, I started walking across the street without looking.
The signal was green.
I heard yelling. Horns. Tires screeching—
Then silence.
As the world slowed around me and the headlights of a truck grew bigger in my vision, I heard Yuri's whisper.
"My answer is no."
The truck wasn't loud anymore. In that fraction of a second, her words echoed in my ears more violently than the impact that followed.
Darkness.
I opened my eyes.
My room. Morning.
Sunlight streamed through my curtains like nothing had happened. I sat up, sweating, confused. Was it a dream? Did I imagine all of it?
No injuries. No hospital. Just my own bed, like every other boring day.
But it wasn't a dream.
I tried contacting Yuri—once.
She rejected me. Even after what happened.
So I stopped.
Life rolled forward—college classes, new friends, new distractions. The memory of Yuri faded slowly. It didn't leave a scar or a hole. Just an untouched page I no longer wanted to read.
I didn't care anymore.
Even if Yuri came to me now, asking for another shot, I would simply smile and say, *"No. I'm good."*
Somewhere along the way, I realized love isn't about fantasy or desperation. It's found in **actions**. In efforts made without being told. In quiet support. In kindness that doesn't wait for a reward.
The chapter with Yuri ended. And in doing so, a new one began.
I started living—not for someone else, but for myself.
Discovering dreams.
Meeting new people.
**Seeing life not as something small and tragic, but something vast and waiting.**
But sometimes…
On quiet nights when the world is still and unfinished thoughts drift like clouds, I see her in my dreams. Just a glance. A smile. A familiar presence in an unfamiliar world.
I always wake up with a strange ache.
Not love.
Just memory.