Hello, my name is Ray.
And this is the story of how I met the woman who changed my life… and how I spent twelve years living under her light.
I wish I could say our story began perfectly.
That we bumped into each other in a hallway, our books falling to the floor as our hands touched.
Love at first sight.
Or maybe hatred… slowly turning into something more.
But no.
Our story is much more complicated than that.
The truth is… I was always there.
Since kindergarten, she was the girl everyone wanted to share their toys with.
In elementary school, the one everyone talked to during recess.
And in high school… the one everyone wanted to ask out.
And me?
I was always nearby… watching.
I saw her laugh with her friends.
I saw her cry, thinking no one noticed.
I saw her at her happiest… and at her lowest.
And every time I thought about approaching her… my heart froze.
I tried.
Many times.
For three years, I rehearsed countless ways to talk to her.
Words I repeated on my way to school.
Plans that always ended the same way…
With me turning around before I could reach her.
Maybe it was fear.
Or maybe… it was something else I refused to understand.
But the final year of high school was different.
I knew it was my last chance.
After graduation, people drift apart.
They move on… and sometimes disappear forever.
So I made a decision.
After weeks of counting down the days…
the moment finally came.
She looked as beautiful as ever.
Her smile lit up the entire field.
I gathered every ounce of courage I had.
And after twelve years…
I finally spoke.
Twelve years of silent feelings.
Twelve years of a story that existed only for me.
She looked at me for a few seconds.
And then… she said something I will never forget.
It wasn't a rejection.
It wasn't a yes.
It was worse.
— "Wait… you could talk?"
And then she walked away.
That was how my last day of high school ended.
But this story…
began long before that.