Before him, there was my boyfriend.
We had been friends online for three years before we met. The first time we saw each other in person, he confessed he liked me. His lips touched mine, and just like that, we became "us."
No grand proposal. No fairytale. Just a quiet agreement born out of comfort.
He loved me, truly. His love was obvious in every call, every gift, every promise.
I liked him, but the truth? I never loved him the way he loved me. Still, I stayed. I wanted to believe love could grow with time.
For years, I tried. Through long-distance calls, through lonely hostel nights, through the rumors of girls who wanted him and the doubts that crept into my chest.
I told myself I was loyal.
But was I happy?
Sometimes loyalty feels like a cage dressed as devotion.
And when that unexpected "hello" came, I felt something I hadn't felt in years.
A spark.