stands at the door, holding up a baby onesie with a nervous smile Remember our pact? We're both 25.
I had cleaned my hair and put on pajama pants and t-shirt. I looked at him Oh! Hiii I hugged him, surprised to see him. Hey..How have you been? How is your job? I kissed his cheek I missed you so much.
gently pulls away from the hug Mlateen, we need to talk about this. We can't ignore our pact any longer.
look at him concerned Are you okay? Is there something wrong? Do you need help? I can help you..you just need to tell me what’s wrong..I promise, I will do anything for you.
takes a deep breath and looks into mlateen's eyes Mlateen, I'm not here just to catch up. I brought these baby onesies for a reason.
I followed him What are they for?
leads mlateen to the living room and sits down Mlateen, remember how we used to dream about starting a family together?
nod mhm..do you have a girlfriend now?
No, Mlateen, I don't have a girlfriend. But seeing you again, remembering those dreams we had, I can't ignore the way I feel. I still love you, Mlateen.
surprised Theo…we grew up..we should grow up..our dreams change.. I sighed you also deserve to find the one..not me..I can’t..
takes mlateen's hands in his Mlateen, I understand that we've grown up and our dreams may have changed.
smile Please come inside..it’s cold out..let’s get warm
nods and follows mlateen inside the house Thank you, Mlateen. I appreciate your understanding. But let's not rush into anything.
I closed the door behind him Come sit on the couch..can I get you something to drink? water? juice? coffee or tea?
sits down on the couch Thank you, Mlateen. I'll have some water, please.
I brought water for him and set it down on the table Is there anything specific you want to talk about?
takes a deep breath and looks at mlateen Mlateen, I came here today because I couldn't ignore my feelings anymore.
listen carefully Theo, how long have you felt like this? And..you kept from telling me..?
leans forward, placing a hand on mlateen's knee Mlateen, I've been feeling this way for a while now.
So..you hid it all from me all this time.. frowning
leans back, looking down I didn't want to burden you, Mlateen. I was afraid of losing our friendship if I told you how I truly felt.
What do you mean..burden me? or..afraid to lose our friendship?
looks into mlateen's eyes Mlateen, you've always been there for me, through thick and thin. I didn't want to risk losing that.
cross my arms and pout Since when did I become fragile? You think I am weak? angry
leans forward, gently placing a hand on mlateen's shoulder Mlateen, I never meant to imply that you're fragile or weak.
glares at Theo Then why didn't you say anything sooner?
takes a deep breath and looks into mlateen's eyes Mlateen, I'm sorry for keeping this from you for so long.
still glares at him Do you want me to tell you what I’ve been thinking? Do you want to know how hard it was not to tell you? sighs Let me ask you..what happened to us? What happened to those times? Did we change that much? Did I change that much? sadness slowly came to my eyes
reaches out and gently holds mlateen's hand Mlateen, I know I messed up. And I'm truly sorry for hurting you. But please believe me when I say that I still love you, just as I always have. pauses, searching mlateen's eyes As for what happened to us... I think life happened. We grew up, things changed, and we drifted apart. But deep down, I've always hoped that there could still be a chance for us. Mlateen: snatches her hand away Life happened? Is that your excuse? Just like that, you expect everything to go back to how it was?
my tears started streaming down What happened to respect, honesty..trust? angry
stands up and walks towards mlateen Mlateen, I understand that I've made mistakes, and I can't change the past.
takes a deep breath and looks directly into mlateen's eyes Mlateen, I promise you, I will do whatever it takes to make things right between us.
It doesn’t matter..it won’t be the same.. disappointed and sad There are reasons why people move on.. sighed and look down
kneels in front of mlateen and gently lifts her chin, making her look into his eyes Mlateen, I understand if you don't want to give us another chance. But please know that I will always care about you, no matter what. You mean a lot to me, and I just couldn't keep this to myself any longer. I love you, Mlateen, and I always will. pauses, searching for a reaction in mlateen's eyes Mlateen: blinks back tears and looks away Theo... I need some time to think. Please give me that.
stand up abruptly I got to work early..I’m tired.. goes to my bedroom, locks the door, and lays down on my bed. I cried as I thought about him. That’s the only explanation…we moved on, he found someone else..I was just a foolish girl who he had a pity for.. Cried and went to sleep, feeling hurt, broken, alone, ignored, disregarded and unimportant.
knocks gently on mlateen's bedroom door Mlateen, I'm really sorry for everything. I didn't mean to hurt you. Can we talk? I want to make things right. Days later, Theo receives a text message from Mlateen, inviting him to meet for coffee and talk about their situation.
Smile faintly, finished getting ready. I waited for him on the bench outside of coffee shop, wearing light grey short-sleeved button-up shirt paired with my black joggers and gray fuzzy slippers. I had cleaned my hair, wiped away my tears, put on a bit of makeup, and had my signature glasses on. I was reading a book while waiting.
spots mlateen on the bench and walks towards them, a nervous smile on his face Mlateen, thank you for agreeing to meet me. I really appreciate it.
You’re welcome, Theo..I smiled softly Let’s get a table..went inside and grabbed two tables for us. I had already ordered two cups of coffee for us. One for him and another for me. I sat down and picked up my coffee, blowing the steam off before sipping
sits down across from mlateen, taking a deep breath Mlateen, I'm sorry for everything that happened between us.