One Valentine's Day

One day, Maya went to her college to collect her school leaving certificate. As she walked down the familiar path, her eyes wandered toward the playground. The sudden echoes of Liam’s laughter and his playful jokes filled her mind. It was as if he were still there, just as he had always been, his presence lingering in every corner.

She was leaving in two days, yet she hadn’t seen Liam in over half a month. The thought of never seeing him again twisted her heart.

Her feet moved on their own, guiding her toward the basketball court. Her heart pounded in her chest, each step bringing her closer to what she thought might be a final farewell. She could almost see him there, waiting to say goodbye.

But as she drew closer, a rush of disappointment hit her. It wasn’t Liam. It was someone else, playing with the same intensity, but it wasn’t him. The world felt suddenly empty, like a puzzle piece that no longer fit.

As she walked past her old classroom, the sounds of laughter and teasing seemed to echo in her mind. Her classmates’ voices swirled around her, chanting how she and Liam made the perfect pair. Back then, they had always laughed it off, denied it without a second thought. Even Liam had told them to stop, knowing how uncomfortable it made her. Yet, Maya couldn’t help but wonder if those playful jabs had some truth to them, something neither of them had ever admitted aloud.

One memory stood out in vivid clarity: the day she had injured herself while playing volleyball. The pain was sharp, but the look in Liam’s eyes had been sharper. He carried her all the way to the doctor’s office, his own injury forgotten as he focused only on her. The concern in his gaze, the way he ignored his own discomfort to make sure she was okay, felt like a promise of something deeper. She had never fully understood it until now.

As Maya neared the gates, ready to leave the college behind, a voice called out from behind her. She froze.

“Leaving so soon?” It was Alex, his voice too smooth, too calculating. She felt a chill run down her spine. There was something unsettling about him, something that made her skin crawl.

Her heart raced. Without Liam by her side, she felt an overwhelming wave of uncertainty. Liam had always been there, stepping in when situations like this made her uncomfortable, effortlessly protecting her from people like Alex. But now, Maya stood alone, her senses heightened. She didn’t know how to handle this, how to face the world without him.

“I’m leaving,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, even though she wanted to scream, to demand to be left alone.

Alex took a step closer, his eyes narrowing in a way that made her feel like prey. She instinctively took a step back, but the weight of the situation pressed down on her like never before. Liam’s absence left a void, and for the first time, Maya realized just how much she had relied on him—not just for protection, but for the quiet strength he gave her to face the world.

After what felt like an eternity, Maya finally broke free from Alex’s unsettling gaze and hurried home. Her footsteps were slow, but her mind raced with thoughts she couldn’t untangle.

At the door, her eyes instinctively sought Liam’s gate. It had always been open for her. She paused, remembering a time when she had been sick, too weak to complete an important project. The task had been due, and there was no way she could have finished it on her own.

Without hesitation, Liam had taken her place. Despite being terrible at art and craft, he never complained. They had sat together at his home. He had carefully helped her, watching YouTube tutorials to get everything just right. He had worked tirelessly, not because he was good at it, but because he understood how much it meant to her. When the grades came in, she had received full marks. But it wasn’t the grade that made her smile—it was the effort he had put in for her, a gesture that went far beyond friendship. It had been a quiet act of love, one she never fully recognized until now.

As Maya stepped into her room, the weight of the moment settled over her. She tried to focus on something else, but the image of Liam’s teary eyes—the same eyes that had carried so much love and pain—refused to leave her mind. That look had been so full of things she didn’t understand. Why hadn’t she seen it before?

She grabbed her phone, scrolling through her gallery, searching for anything to distract her. She stopped at a picture of Liam from years ago—a candid shot, one from a school event, when he had no idea she was watching. His smile had been genuine, carefree, but it was his eyes that caught her attention. Those eyes. They hadn’t changed. The same quiet intensity, the same love, hidden behind a mask of casualness.

"Why am I falling for him?" she whispered to herself, the question lingering in the stillness of her room.

She stared at the screen, feeling an undeniable pull in her chest. “I don’t love him…” she said aloud, but as the words left her lips, a part of her whispered otherwise.

“Or maybe… I do.”