One Valentine's Day

"Maya, I want to say something,” Liam said, avoiding her gaze. At that moment, he realized how Valentine’s Day had always been just another day for them—one where they would joke about couples in the park doing silly things. But this Valentine’s was different. It was a day that would change everything, a day when both of their lives were about to take a different turn.

He took Maya’s hand in his, drew a deep breath, and said, “I love you, Maya.”

Maya pulled her hand away in disbelief, her voice trembling as she replied, “But Liam… I never thought of you that way. To me, you are…” She paused, looking into his tear-filled eyes. Then, she continued softly, “To me, you’re just a friend. My best friend.”

Liam’s tears began to roll down, but Maya remained firm. She took a deep breath and said, “Now that this has happened, I think we shouldn’t see each other again. We need to stay apart…” She swallowed hard. “Because… things will never be the same again.”

Liam stayed silent, his eyes locked onto hers. For the first time, he saw fear in them. He wanted to say something, to stop her, but the words wouldn’t come. He simply sat there on the bench, watching as Maya walked away.

As Maya walked back home, her eyes got filled with tears. She wanted to cry so hard, but she held it in. After all, she had lost her best friend, the one person who had always been there for her. The worst part was that she was leaving this place forever, and she couldn’t even spend the last golden moments with him.

She cried so hard in her bedroom, her sobs echoing in the silence. Between tears, she whispered to herself, “Why did you do this, Liam? You were always my greatest support… but today, you ended it all.”

As the days passed, Maya and Liam grew even sadder. Neither of them had imagined they would stay apart for such a long time. Time felt longer than ever before. Maya would spend hours in her room, lost in her thoughts, unable to shake the feeling that her life was incomplete without Liam.

Meanwhile, Liam was also confined to his room, sobbing and regretting the moment he had taken that step—the one that had shattered their friendship.

This continued for days, until one day, something unexpected happened.