After a year of healing in solitude, I was smarter, stronger, and wiser.
It felt like butterflies dancing in my heart, followed by the desire to flee.
I felt hopeful and triggered all at once.
Hoang Loc
We had a funny history of awkward first impressions coated with an innocent attraction towards one another.
Divine timing was never on our side as I had yet to break my rose-colored glasses.
After a year of healing in solitude, I was smarter, stronger, and wiser.
I had broken the spell of falling for love bombing, covert deceptions, and hidden agendas.
The fluidity of our conversation lasted from sunset into the darkest stage of twilight.
We exchanged stories of navigating breakdowns to breakthroughs, closing chapters and opening new ones, and redefining happiness.
He was composed of compassion and empathy a quality very few held in my life.
Without hesitation, I welcomed this renewed friendship.
It was filled with me missing his every attempt to spark my attention.
I was unaware of the wild infatuation he had for me.
I was both flattered and saddenedthe signs were missed because my brain was unconsciously magnetized to narcissistic men.
He admitted to initially seeing me as naive, and I admitted to seeing him as arrogant.
Miscommunication and pride kept us apart.
I had misjudged his arrogance for bold honesty, but he was accurate towards my naivety.
He did not know the why to my perceived behavior.
I knew this night would not end without a kiss.
In one moment, we stopped pretending were just friends.
In one moment, we danced between the spaces of black and white.
We floated between nothingness and possibilities.
We balanced between obsession and infatuation.
In one moment, my curious soul explored his.
The ghost of our past was forgotten as we embraced the present.
When the moment ended, our friendship resumed unscathed by a few innocent kisses.
The night was founded on creating trust, honesty, and safety by unveiling our shadows.
The kiss was exactly what I needed to remind myself of my ability to be intimate again.
It was a reminder of my ability to cultivate healthy relationships.
After the harmless kiss, we went our separate ways with an unforgettable memory imprinted in our hearts.
The memory of a moment where we stopped pretending were just friends.
A moment where after years of him chasing, I let him catch me.
