You came to my place
with guilt in your eyes
and apology in your hands̶
not for me,
but for her.
For the way your girlfriend yelled at me
like i was the problem
when you
were the one
who always came back.
You told me
she hated me.
That she screamed.
Cried.
Begged.
Asked you to choose.
But you looked at me
with those same grey eyes
and said:
"i canʼt.
i canʼt stop seeing you.
weʼre friends."
I smiled.
because what else could i do?
"Yeah," i said.
and you nodded
like that label didnʼt rip through my chest
with every syllable.
No closure.
No explanation.
No "what are we"
Just coffee. black. bitter.
like the space between us.
You strummed my guitar,
singing our favorite songs
like you hadnʼt broken something
i didnʼt even know i still had.
And i?
I sang along.
I wish you knew̶
the way my hands shook
on the mug.
The way my voice cracked
at that one lyric.
The way my smile
was more bruise than joy.
And i wondered
who you were lying to.
her?
me?
or
yourself?