A Friend in the Dark
Rain poured heavily outside.
Ryan sat in silence, slumped on the cold floor of his dim apartment. The room was a mess—broken glass, scattered bottles, and the suffocating weight of everything he had lost.
Or thought he had.
A knock came.
No response.
Another knock—louder this time.
"Ryan. I know you're in there."
Lucas.
Ryan didn't move.
After a few seconds, the door creaked open anyway. Lucas stepped in, his eyes scanning the destruction… then landing on Ryan.
"…Damn," he muttered under his breath.
He walked over slowly and crouched in front of him.
"You look like hell."
Ryan let out a dry laugh, his voice hollow. "Feels worse."
Lucas studied him for a moment, then sighed and sat beside him on the floor.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Only the sound of rain filled the silence.
Finally, Ryan spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.
"She said she never loved me."
Lucas didn't react immediately. He just leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms.
"Then believe her."
Ryan's head snapped slightly, pain flashing in his eyes.
Lucas glanced at him. "I'm serious. Believe her."
"That supposed to make me feel better?" Ryan said bitterly.
"No," Lucas replied calmly. "It's supposed to wake you up."
Silence again.
Lucas leaned forward, his voice firmer now.
"You're crying over someone who admitted she never loved you. Think about that, Ryan."
Ryan clenched his fists.
"I gave her everything…"
"And she still chose someone else," Lucas cut in. "That's not your failure. That's her loss."
Ryan said nothing.
Lucas exhaled and ran a hand through his hair.
"Listen to me," he continued. "You're rich, powerful, good-looking—and more than that, you're loyal. Do you even know how rare that is?"
Ryan gave a weak scoff. "Didn't seem rare to her."
Lucas smirked slightly. "That's because she didn't deserve it."
Ryan's jaw tightened.
Lucas nudged his shoulder lightly.
"There are girls out there—better girls—who would kill to have someone like you. Girls who would actually appreciate you instead of treating you like you're nothing."
Ryan stared at the floor, his expression conflicted.
"You just picked the wrong one."
The words hit deeper than expected.
Lucas stood up and extended his hand.
"So what now?" he asked. "You gonna sit here and destroy yourself over her… or are you going to stand up and prove she lost the best thing she ever had?"
Ryan looked at his hand.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then slowly…
He took it.
Lucas pulled him up with a firm grip.
"That's more like it," Lucas said with a small grin. "Step one—stop looking like a broken man."
Ryan exhaled deeply, running a hand over his face.
"…And step two?"
Lucas's eyes darkened slightly, a knowing look crossing his face.
"Step two," he said, "is to remind the world exactly who Ryan Alessandro is."
A faint spark flickered in Ryan's eyes.
Not healed.
Not yet.
But no longer completely broken.