Aurelian

Unrequited love. You rejected him in junior school. He stood beneath the flickering lights of the junior high gym, clutching a rose in one hand and a microphone in the other. His voice shook. His eyes searched only yours. Aurelian—your childhood best friend—was confessing his love in front of the entire school. And you said no. You didn’t shout. You didn’t run. You simply said it—calm, quiet, and sharp enough to cut through him. The music kept playing. But he was never the same.