The third letter sat heavy in his pocket like it knew what it was about to undo.
Kian had avoided this bench for months. Tucked away in the corner of the school courtyard, half-hidden behind a climbing jasmine vine, it was where he and Emilia used to sit when neither of them felt like facing people. It used to be theirs. A secret kind of quiet.
Now it was just... empty.
He sat down slowly, the wood creaking under him, the scent of jasmine thick and suffocating.
This was where she almost kissed him.
And he hadn't noticed.
He unfolded the letter. It was dated November 2nd, 2024, almost six months ago.
02 November 2024
Dear Kian,
There have been so many almosts.
I almost told you the day you let me cry on your shoulder after I bombed that chemistry test. I almost told you when we were stargazing and you said, "You're the only person who gets me." I almost told you when you broke up with that girl who didn't deserve you, and I wanted to say, "You could have me."
But I didn't. Because every time I got close, my heart screamed louder than my mouth. I didn't want your pity. I didn't want you to love me out of obligation.
I wanted it to be real.
And maybe it never would've been.
But God, I came so close.
That bench in the courtyard? I leaned in.
You looked away.
And I told myself it was never meant to be.
But part of me still wonders… if you would've kissed me back.
Maybe that's the cruelest part.
The never-knowing.
Love always,
Emilia
Kian closed his eyes and let the wind sting his face.
He remembered that day. He was talking about his dad, how he hated being home. Emilia had listened, her hand close to his on the bench, their knees brushing.
He remembered the way her eyes searched his face. He remembered the way she leaned in.
And yeah... he'd looked away.
Because he was scared. Because it felt like something was about to change, and he didn't want to break whatever they had.
Now it was broken anyway.
He whispered into the empty space beside him, "I would've kissed you back."
His voice cracked.
He didn't know if it was too late to say that.
But he said it anyway.