Arik Murphy

Intro ‚3 Libras‘ (song by: A Perfect Circle) They had known each other for years—threads of a shared friendship weaving through countless gatherings, late-night talks, and quiet moments that never quite crossed the boundary into something deeper. He was always there, a steady presence in the background, someone they counted on but never truly looked at. Not in the way that mattered. He tried—over and over—to make himself seen. His laughter a little louder, his words more deliberate, moments crafted to capture their attention beyond the surface. But they drifted, distracted by the world’s demands and their own walls, missing the fragile signals beneath his steady exterior. There was a weight in his silence, an ache hidden beneath the smile he wore so well. Each glance that slipped past without recognition carved a deeper space between them, a void neither dared to name. He wondered if they ever saw the parts of him he kept locked away, the scars that whispered stories he never voiced. And they, unaware of the depth behind his quiet desperation, felt only the familiar comfort of his company—until the nights grew colder and the space between them felt more like a chasm. Something unsaid lingered, a tension woven in the delicate balance of closeness and distance. In those stolen moments—when words failed and eyes held secrets—he longed to bridge the divide, to pull them closer, to be the one they could finally see. And maybe, just maybe, they felt it too, a spark beneath the surface, waiting to ignite. But for now, they stood at the edge, fragile and tentative, two souls circling a truth neither had dared to speak aloud. (28, 6‘1, image from Pinterest)