Chapter 1 : Letting Go, Slowly

SARA POV

"Sorry, you're a good person. You might find someone better."

Yeah.

I got rejected.

After three years of crushing on him, I finally confessed. Right after high school ended. And he said no.

But strangely, I didn’t feel broken. No tears at first. Just a quiet acceptance.

That’s me—I move on fast. Life is too short to hold onto something that’s not meant for me.

I’ve let it go.

Yeah… just let it go.

...

"You know I liked him for so long!" I cried, sniffling as I rewatched Pride and Prejudice for the hundredth time.

My small circle of friends surrounded me—Lara on the couch beside me, Freya curled up on the floor with a bowl of chips. I didn’t need many friends. Just these two. They’re enough.

"There, there." Lara patted my head softly.

"I think I’d be such a good girlfriend," I said with a pout, rubbing my eyes with a tissue.

"Of course you would!" Freya said. "You’ll find someone better than him."

I sniffled again, already halfway into my spiral. “He’s such a nice guy. Remember when he protected my head when I got into the car?”

They nodded, but I already knew the truth. He was nice to everyone.

Still, I clung to the sadness just a little longer. Even when I knew it would pass.

“You guys even hyped me up,” I sighed, leaning back into the couch. “You told me to confess before I regret it.”

"And you did," Freya said. "So no regrets, right?"

I nodded slowly. “Yeah... no regrets. I’ll get over this in a few days. Maybe weeks.”

I changed the subject with a stretch. “Now that we’ve graduated, what’s next?”

“I’ve got a nursing school interview next week,” Lara said.

“You, Freya?”

“Alderwell College.”

“Oh! Me too!” I lit up. We grabbed each other’s hands and jumped with joy.

Lara groaned. “Ugh, I hate that I won’t be with you two.”

“We’ll still hang out,” I promised. “We’ll make time.”

We were growing up. Young adults now. There’s so much life ahead. I was the youngest, but I always tried to think maturely. Positive mindset. Good people. Growth.

That’s what matters.

I checked my phone. “Aren't you guys gonna be late?”

Lara and Freya exchanged a look.

“We’re sleeping over,” Lara said with a grin.

“Yeah, yeah,” Freya echoed.

I laughed. “Good. I already told my parents you might.”

“Yay!”

We all giggled like little kids again. And later, when the lights were off and they were asleep, I lay awake.

Tossing. Overthinking.

I had good grades. A peaceful life. A soft, quiet kind of existence. But I’d never experienced romance—not really. And I wanted to. Just once.

I loved love. The kind in books. The kind on screen. I was just a girl who dreamed. A little too much. A little too quietly.

Maybe my standards were high. Maybe that’s why every crush I had ended up one-sided. I wasn’t great at talking to guys anyway.