I noticed it in the smallest ways.
Aiden started smiling more—but not at me.
He'd glance at his phone during breaks, his expression soft in a way I'd never seen before. Sometimes he'd look distracted, like his thoughts were somewhere far away. Somewhere I couldn't reach.
At first, I told myself I was imagining things.
Then I saw her.
She was standing near the front gate after school, laughing as Aiden approached. When he said her name, his voice changed—gentler, lighter. The way mine never quite made it.
I stopped walking.
They didn't hold hands. They didn't do anything obvious. But the space between them felt… close. Familiar. Like something already established.
Clarity hit me harder than jealousy ever could.
That night, Aiden found me on the rooftop.
"Hinata," he said quietly.
I didn't turn around. "You don't have to explain."
There was a pause. The kind that meant everything.
"I liked you," he finally said. "I still do. Just… not the way I thought I could."
I nodded, staring at the darkening sky. "It's her, isn't it?"
He didn't deny it.
"She was someone from before," he said. "I never really stopped feeling that way."
It hurt more than I expected—not because he chose someone else, but because I understood. Feelings don't follow fairness. They just exist.
"I hope she makes you happy," I said.
And I meant it.
Aiden left shortly after. No dramatic goodbye. No promises. Just a chapter closing quietly.
When I was alone again, I let myself feel it.
Not heartbreak that screamed—but the kind that sat heavy and silent in your chest