(5936 words)
________________________

March 20, 2033

The sunlight peeked through the window blinds, adding some light into the dark room. The rays hitting Isaiah's eyes woke him up before any alarms could, making him open his eyes with a squint. He rolled his body so his back was planted on the mattress, feeling a warm body beside him that he brushed off: He sat up from his bed, lifting his arms from under the cover to stretch them, the cool air of the room making the tiny hairs stand up. He blinked, giving himself time to open his eyes completely and zone out for a second, wishing he could have a few more minutes of sleep even though his body wasn't tired anymore. This morning he woke up content and refreshed, especially since last night he and his boyfriend decided to sleep early, knowing they had a big day today.

Speaking of his boyfriend, he craned his head to see the mop of black hair that was almost covered by the blankets. The ravenette stayed asleep, his soft breaths audible in the silence of the room. Isaiah smiled fondly, taking a minute before reaching over to the warm body, practically spooning his boyfriend into his arms. The other made a soft grunt at the touch but soon relaxed, cuddling up against Isaiah. Isaiah moves the arm wrapped around his boyfriend's waist to bring it to his black hair, brushing off some strands to reveal the beautiful face that he's come to fall in love with.

He didn't realize he had been staring until he was brought back to reality from his daydreaming. With his boyfriend's forehead now exposed, he reached down to press a light kiss on it.

"Karlos." Isaiah presses another kiss at his boyfriend's temple this time. "Karlos, wake up." He presses another kiss down his jaw, then a trail of kisses down to his neck. Soft groans left Karlos's lips with each touch, turning his body so his back sunk into the mattress. Isaiah sees Karlos looking at him not with both eyes, but rather with one eye squinting at him, a tired pout on his lips. Isaiah couldn't help but lean in to kiss it away, earning a soft smile from the other.

"Morning beautiful," Karlos's deep morning voice said.

Isaiah leans down again to seal another kiss, a longer one that Karlos reciprocates quickly. The two lovers smiled lovesick as they pulled away, Isaiah resting his head on Karlos's chest. The tranquil moment was ruined when the alarm that they had forgotten about rang loudly, the screaming pitch startling the two. Their expressions of fright disperse automatically, turning into smiles as they laugh it off. Isaiah rolled off the bed, turning it off before looking back at Karlos.

"Aren't you gonna come back to bed?" the other playfully asked with a smirk. Isaiah shook his head cheekily.

"Nope. You have a very big day today," he clarified, starting to unbutton his pajama top.

Karlos brought his hand to his head, seemingly recalling something forgotten. "Right, today's the show," he groaned as he sat up, the blanket falling off his body to reveal the pale skin of his naked torso. Isaiah hummed attentively, scavenging through the drawer as he tried to find a shirt to wear today.

"And don't forget, the dinner reservations are tonight so do you think you can make it back by, let's say 6:30?" Isaiah pulls out a white dress shirt from the furniture, pushing it close before turning around to find Karlos walking to him. "Because I know the show is around 9."

Karlos nodded, wrapping his arms around Isaiah's body just because he could.

"I can't wait for you to see the set,'' Karlos mumbles, pressing a sweet kiss on Isaiah's temple, a giggle escaping his lips. "I think you're gonna be very proud of me~" Karlos playfully sings as he pulls away with a gleeful smirk.

"Bae, I'm already very proud of you," the smaller one responds. "I can't wait," he mumbles, placing a hand on Karlos's cheek before leaning up to peck his lips lovingly. Karlos kissed back with a smile, leaning down to press one last kiss on Isaiah's cheek before pulling away completely and heading to the kitchen.

"I'm going to make breakfast," the brunette notices the other, stopping at the door frame to look at him. "You in the mood for anything special?" Isaiah shakes his head.

"No, anything is fine," he dismisses him. Karlos sends him one last smile before disappearing behind the doorway.

After removing his pajamas and letting them fall to the ground, Isaiah dressed up in the shirt he had picked, along with some pants he had set up in the dresser the previous night. He checked himself in the mirror, brushing some strands of his blonde hair with his hand. Satisfied, he walked out of the bedroom to the bathroom. His bare feet impacting the cold tile floor made a shiver run down his spine that he regretted not putting socks on before leaving the bedroom. He felt too lazy to turn around, deciding he'd get them after washing his face and brushing his teeth.

On his way to the bathroom, the blonde spotted his boyfriend in the kitchen, the sound of the frying food in the pan as Karlos uses a spatula to mix the eggs around, cooking them. He smiles content, feeling lucky to have him in his life, forgetting all about his cold feet since his blushing cheek makes up for it.

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November 18th, 2030

Karlos waited anticipatedly for Isaiah to arrive home from work. Earlier, he called Karlos to let him know he was given a promotion at his firm. The best part was, it was on his birthday. Of course, Karlos had to celebrate it.

He had already planned to buy a cake for the boy's birthday but he decided to buy an icing tube at the store as well, so when he arrived home hours before Isaiah was expected, he could add the words "And congratulations" after the professional-looking "birthday" on the cake.

After a long day of preparing a nice dinner since he figured he might be hungry after work, he waited in the dark. The chocolate cake in front of him that contrasted with the white icing had 4 unlit candles sticking from it like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, not exactly perfect but beautiful.

He had a lighter in his hand, occasionally opening it to flick it on in boredom, yet wanting to be prepared to light the candles as soon as Isaiah opened the door. He wished he could keep his finger pressed to the trigger so the flame wouldn't go out, but he couldn't since his fingers would become exhausted and sore, he had no choice but to give them a break.

When he heard the unmistakable sound of a key being jammed into the lock that opened the door, Karlos instantly stood up in a jerk with the lighter in hand. He hovers the flame over the Wix, struggling to light them all because some wouldn't cooperate with him. Isaiah stepped inside, surprised to find his friend in the kitchen with his arm over little flames and lighter in hand. Their eyes met, Karlos seeming like he had just been caught committing a crime until it dawned on Isaiah. By the realization, Isaiah's eyes lit up and a wide, toothy grin broke out on his face, showing the same enthusiasm as a little kid.

"Karlos." Speechless, his friend's name was the only thing that came to mind.

With a disappointed look, Karlos set the lighter down, two candles left unlit. He turned to Isaiah with an embarrassing smile, seeing how happy his friend was that he didn't care whether he had lit those last two candles. He wanted this night to be perfect and by Isaiah's reaction, he knew he had succeeded.

"Um, surprise?" he awkwardly spread out his hands to make the impression of jazz hands, slightly shaking them awkwardly. Giggles left Isaiah's lips before basically jumping on the other, pulling him into a tight, aggressive hug that led to Karlos letting out a surprised shriek.

"H-Happy birthday, Isaiah," he grunted.

"Oh, thank you Karlos. Thank you so much. You're the best friend in the world," Isaiah said as he tightened his hold.

"Yeah? Well if you don't let go, you're probably not going to have a best friend for much longer," he joked, tempting Isaiah to squeeze him just a little tighter before letting go.

"Blow out the candles Isaiah! Oh wait, I still gotta light up some." Karlos grabbed the lighter from the table, flicking it on to have the flame over the last two candles and some of the ones that had blown out due to the air vents. Isaiah watched him silently, seeing how the lights reflected against Karlos's eyes. He wasn't shy about staring when Karlos turned to him, satisfied with his work on the cake. "Make a wish."

With a smile, Isaiah closed his eyes. Karlos anticipated for Isaiah to open his eyes, not knowing Isaiah wasn't making a wish for himself, but rather, he used his birthday wish on someone else. When the brunette opened his eyes, he was met with the soft glows of the flames and Karlos encouraged him to blow them out. At that moment, he knew nothing was left to wish for because he had everything he wanted. Well, except for one thing.

I wish for you to always be happy like this forever.

He takes a breath in before releasing it, the flames disappearing to leave behind a trail of white smoke. Karlos's claps echoed the room before he spread his arms about to engulf Isaiah in a warm, friendly, bear hug. "Happy birthday Moonlight."

"Thank you Karlos."

As Isaiah fished the candles out of the cake, Karlos walked to the switch to turn the lights on. He walked back to Isaiah with a spatula in hand which he had grabbed when he headed to one of the kitchen drawers. Isaiah took it from him, thanking the other before sinking it down into the cake, covering the plastic object with white icing and brown cake crumbs. Knowing they were the only ones to be eating this cake, they decided not to get plates, agreeing to eat it with forks and leave the leftovers in the fridge. Karlos walked away to grab two forks for them, coming back with a happy smirk on his lips.

As they ate the treat, they talked about nothing yet everything. Isaiah talked about his new promotion, Karlos talked about the new play he was hired to design, and they both talked about how tasty the birthday treat was. They planned what they were to do next and voiced out random memories that slipped into their minds. To Isaiah and Karlos, the night was wonderful.

In honor of Isaiah's birthday and his new promotion, Karlos proposed that they stay up to watch movies on the couch together. Isaiah agreed, for this was something they used to do much more often before they got busy with adulting. After brushing their teeth, washing their faces, and putting pajamas on, they sat next to each other on the couch.

For a few minutes, they argue about which movie to watch. Isaiah wanted to watch a movie they both haven't seen before and Karlos wanted to watch a movie they'd seen more times than they could count. Their argument ended with Isaiah giving in because while it was his favorite movie, he also wanted Karlos to be happy. They have plenty of days ahead of when they could watch the other film anyways.

After selecting the movie and setting the remote down, Isaiah realized how close he was lying next to Karlos. So close, he could easily pull him into his lap and Isaiah wouldn't stop him from doing so. When Karlos didn't do that, Isaiah subconsciously scooted closer to his friend while the bright colors of the screen illuminated the room with a blue glow that faded into darkness as the movie started. Isaiah's head was now on Karlos's shoulder while Karlos's hand was casually snaked around Isaiah's waist.

The movie played for a couple of minutes until it arrived at a scene where the main characters sat on a boat, millions of shimmering lanterns floated in the sky above and around them while they sang a song, a beautiful song, that showed the viewer how close these characters had gotten since they met. Although Karlos had watched this movie a million times, tonight he had a different mindset. Normally, Isaiah and Karlos would start singing this song at the top of their lungs, possibly stand from the couch and dramatically perform it as if they were the actors of the musical. Tonight, they were silent. As he recalled the lyrics in his head, he noticed they impacted how he felt at this moment, as he held Isaiah close to him.

It's the way he doesn't mind doing anything with Isaiah as long as he's happy and comfortable. He doesn't mind hugging him as they watch movies, he doesn't mind buying him treats on his birthday, and he doesn't mind when Isaiah keeps him up at night just talking. He doesn't mind... Isaiah as a person. For years, he knew he'd do anything for him to where his affection grew into something that exceeded along the line of friendship. And Karlos was too much of a coward to say anything.

Karlos has never told a soul so he can't think of anyone who knows. He's thankful it's that way. If there's anyone he'd want to know about his feelings, it'd be the person they're directed to: Isaiah. Karlos wanted only Isaiah to know about his feelings. Not just because he hoped the other would reciprocate them but because he's also his best friend. His soul mate. His twin flame.

Karlos knows that if Isaiah were to reject him, he wouldn't regret telling him his feelings because they're real.

It was beautiful watching the characters fall in love on television. Karlos wished it was that easy in real life. He wished he had the confidence to tell Isaiah how his heart beats around him, how objects or signs randomly remind him of him. He wished he could have the confidence to say those three big words.

The ravenette took a deep breath to steady his beating heart, whispering Isaiah's name low, to which the other responded by lifting his head to look at Karlos. With his head bowed, Karlos stared back at the eyes that held so much life in them. Suddenly he felt at ease. There was nothing to be afraid of. It was just the two of them and Karlos wouldn't prefer it any other way.

Isaiah's fond smile made him feel warm inside, his lips twitching their own smile as he felt the words easily spill from his lips.

"I love you."

Karlos didn't blurt these words out. He let them flow like the confession it was. And now that he'd said them, he could stop. "I've always felt something for you but I didn't want to get in the way if you were in love with someone else. Now, you haven't mentioned being interested in anyone so... I'd like it if you gave me a chance. Give me a chance to make you as happy as you've made me."

Stunned, Isaiah craned his neck to let out a cough, looking back at the ravenette with the same shocked, wide eyes. "You like- love me?"

Karlos nodded confidently, now more nervous at Isaiah's response. He didn't know how Isaiah's heart skipped a beat at the confirmation nor did he know how warm Isaiah felt and his cheek began to turn a pink hue. When Karlos stated those three words, Isaiah was about to return them until he realized the meaning behind the confession. Isaiah had been aware of Karlos's crush on him but he thought it had gone away years ago. It doesn't bother him or make him uncomfortable.

He knows he loves Karlos but is he in love with him? Did he love Karlos the same way he loved him? Isaiah wasn't sure because he had never had to question it.

In his eyes, Karlos was perfect, everything he'd ever wanted. If he wasn't in love with him now, falling in love with Karlos eventually feels like destiny. Like they were meant to be. If Karlos wishes to make him as happy as Isaiah has made him feel, then he has no idea the kind of happiness he introduced Isaiah to. So with a smile, he nods, sure of his decision.

"Okay, Friendship. Yeah, please... make me happy." Karlos's smile widens and he scoops him up in a tight hug. "But.. Can we take it slow?" the brunette talked into his now boyfriend's neck. "I want to get to know you... in a romantic way."

Karlos nodded, his gleeful smile still toothy as they pulled away to stare at each other. "Of course. Of course Moonlight."

As cheesy as it might sound, Karlos confessed on Isaiah's birthday. When they began dating, their childlike relationship didn't change. They stayed playful and teased each other for laughs. Karlos began sleeping in Isaiah's room more often, most nights holding the smaller in his arms until the heat of their apartment forced them to separate, only for them to find their way back to each other at two in the morning. Isaiah began waking up earlier to make them breakfast just so Karlos could sleep a little longer.

Karlos was the first to steal kisses from Isaiah, never on the lips, always on his cheeks or forehead. Every kiss was met with small squeaks whenever he was caught by surprise. Then the brunette would relax and softly graze where Karlos had kissed him with a shy smile. When Isaiah began to grow comfortable with his boyfriend's acts of affection, he began to copy them. When he felt like it, he would kiss him, always avoiding the lips.

Karlos's reactions to Isaiah's touches were the same as the brunette's when they started dating. Soon enough, they entered the honeymoon phase, where they couldn't get enough of each other's kisses and touches.

Isaiah experienced the butterflies everyone talks about whenever Karlos was around him. Oftentimes, he thought he was too clingy, finding himself always wanting to be with the ravenette. Karlos didn't mind the little forms of affection such as the loving messages Isaiah would send him throughout the day.

He let himself fall for his best friend because he trusted him, more than anyone in the world. And Isaiah did, he fell so hard for him.

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December 31, 2030

New Year's rolled around the corner faster than anyone could process it. On New Year's Eve, Karlos decided to tag along when Isaiah returned home. The reactions of Isaiah's parents were no surprise, both excited to have the two best friends at the house, and even more thrilled to find out they were together.

The biggest reason the couple decided to spend New Years Eve at Isaiah's house and New Years Day with Karlos's family was to maintain their tradition of climbing up a ladder to Isaiah's roof. This tradition between them began when they were kids.

The first one to introduce this tradition was Isaiah's father. Back then, Isaiah was a toddler clinging to his father's back like a koala with his eyes tightly shut and his face buried in his neck, his father shakingly climbing the ladder with the weight on his back. Looking back on it, Isaiah's fear made the ladder longer than it was.

The roof was flat with a border surrounding it that if it wasn't for the drain holes on each corner, it could have easily become a pool every time it rained. Their roof worked as a huge balcony that once Isaiah's dad stepped onto the concrete, Isaiah thought he was standing on the third floor that he didn't know about. To keep his son safe, Isaiah's dad kept a few feet from the edge, even though the border was tall enough that 3ft Isaiah couldn't look over even if he tiptoed. His dad ended up carrying the toddler in his arms as he pointed in the distance to what he wanted to show him.

The city near the suburbs they lived in lit up fireworks that popped in the sky to create magical portraits that even a camera couldn't capture its beauty. Isaiah's dad knew of his love for fireworks. Inside the house, the family could only hear the sounds of the loud blows, making Isaiah run to the windows, hoping to be lucky enough to spot a firework.

The buildings surrounding them always crushed those childlike dreams but now, Isaiah could only stare in amazement at the lights in the sky. Even if they were far away from him, he didn't complain. That night was also the first time Isaiah learned how to climb down a ladder, having his dad hold it from the top so it wouldn't slip. Isaiah did the same in return when his father climbed down.

When Karlos came over to his house for the first time on New Year's, they had been in high school, senior year. He just knew he had to show his best friend the view so he did. They both climbed the ladder after one another and stayed in silence as they watched the fireworks in peace. Karlos took out his phone to record the light and soft booms but as Isaiah started, the view was so special a camera couldn't capture the beauty of it.

There are many things in the world that are beautiful to Isaiah. Fireworks. Karlos. This night. None of those were listed in a particular order.

When the couple climbed up to the roof like the many times they had before, they noticed how different it felt tonight. Not in a horrendous way but in the way a glimpse at sunrise might leave you breathless.

The moment Isaiah felt Karlos reach out to hold his hand, is when he began to feel nervous about tonight's events.

On the drive here, he had thought about kissing Karlos when the clock struck midnight but he brushed it off as a silly thought. But now, standing here in front of the boy he's come to fall in love with, he realized how much he wanted it.

He wanted to kiss Karlos on this very night because he couldn't think of anything else more perfect. That's all he wanted. For their first kisses to be perfect, memorable, and special. It's corny, yes but Isaiah couldn't think of anyone else he'd rather give his first kiss to. He wondered if Karlos felt the same.

Was he alright with Isaiah being his first kiss too?

So yes, Isaiah was nervous about making this night perfect.

When Isaiah's alarm rang to signal the clock had struck midnight, they both flinched at the sound before Isaiah immediately fished out his phone to turn it off, the fireworks starting to pop in the distance. Karlos was about to lean in for a hug but Isaiah had other unexpected plans. He grabbed the ravenette's shirt's collar in a rush to pull him into a kiss. However, their lips never met because their foreheads ended up colliding forcefully.

So much for a perfect night.

"Ah, shit!" Isaiah cursed as he held the throbbing pain in his head. Karlos was in a heap of laughter, holding where Isaiah's forehead had hit him.

"Isaiah, what are you trying to do? Give me a concussion?" he laughed.

Isaiah blushed in embarrassment, trying to hold back the smile that was definitely formed by Karlos's laughter. "No! I was trying to kiss you!" he exclaimed, embarrassed by his actions but not his intentions. Karlos's laughter died out as his face transformed into shock like his mind was processing everything until an adoring smile replaced all worry.

"If you wanted to kiss me, why didn't you just ask?" He walked to Isaiah slowly and subtly, the brunette's heartbeat accelerating the closer he got. When he was close enough Karlos placed a hand on Isaiah's cheek and leaned down, very closely so that Isaiah could feel his breath on his lips. Isaiah didn't pull away.

"Karlos, can I kiss you?"

Karlos leaned closer but it was Isaiah that surged forward and ended up crashing their lips together into a kiss. It was a soft peck, just their lips on each other without any movement. The butterflies in their stomachs erupted and their hearts beat in a song that was only theirs. They pull away after their short, sweet kiss with giddy smiles, their eyes almost disappearing.

Gently, Karlos takes Isaiah's hand and pulls him into a hug that Isaiah happily returns.

"Happy New Year Isaiah."

"Happy New Year Karlos."

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Karlos hums at the mouthwatering taste of the food in his mouth, his eyebrows crinkling in a frown showing Isaiah he was enjoying it. The cuteness of his boyfriend made him smile as he picked his spoon on his own plate of cooked eggs with a side of sticky white rice. Isaiah was first to finish his plate. When he got up from his chair, Karlos eyed him, pausing at his meal before stuffing the leftover food into his mouth, his cheeks expanding like a chipmunk's. Isaiah giggled when Karlos handed him his empty plate, cooing at the ravenette's adorable face as he chewed his breakfast slowly.

Isaiah thanked Karlos for the meal then walked to the sink with one plate in each hand.

"You're welcome, babe," Karlos responded once most of the food had gone down his throat. "But unfortunately, I gotta get to the theater now."

The ravenette walked over to press a quick kiss on Isaiah's temple as the blonde drenched a sponge under the running water. Isaiah glances over as his boyfriend gathers his wallet, keys, and coat before walking back to him.

"I'll see you later, alright?" Isaiah nods as Karlos leans down what was supposed to be a quick peck against Isaiah's lips but his mouth lingers there a little longer, lips parting into a grin as he feels a wet hand on the back of his neck. "I love you," he whispers as he parts from him.

"I love you more," the other mumbles with a lovesick grin.

Even when Karlos exited the door, the smile didn't fade away as he went back to clean their dishes.

After cleaning and putting the kitchenware away in the cabinets, Isaiah decided to sit on his couch with his laptop on his lap and his glasses on the bridge of his nose. He turned the device on, hearing the soft whirring noise as the icon to log him in appeared on the screen. Once he typed his password on the white bar with a blinking blank line on it, he moved his cursor over the colorful Google app, selecting it before typing "Instagram" on the search bar. He logged into his work account to check whether any clients had messaged him in regard to appointments or anything else. He responded to a few messages, none that seemed too important that he'd have to run to his office for.

After that, Isaiah had nothing else to do and decided to log into his personal account to see his friends' posts.

He scrolls in boredom, stopping when he spotted a username that he felt he's seen before.

Suggestions for you
aidance.1207

A-Aidan?

Isaiah felt drawn to click on the profile and was surprised to see it was a public account. He couldn't help but scroll through the photos of the man he once knew. What surprised him beyond is how happy the once golden-haired boy (now having a mop of blue hair) looked. Isaiah only hoped that to be true.

It's been a long time since Isaiah had thought of Aidan. They never saw each other again after the day they separated. It was like Aidan had disappeared off the face of the planet. And yet, years later, here he was, on Isaiah's screen.

He's changed of course, as they both had. They've both gotten older, and wiser, the slight wrinkles on their faces and hidden white hairs were proof of it. Apart from Aidan's now blue hair, Isaiah encountered the tattoo posts he had made. One picture showed a simple moon with three simple stars beside it, more than likely tattooed on Aidan's bicep. Another picture showed Aidan's wrist, the dark numbers "00:00" marked on the tan skin.

Isaiah noticed how almost every post included another man. Some pictures were selfies of themselves, others were pictures of the man with Aidan off the screen. Isaiah wondered who the stranger was before realizing it didn't matter. In these photos, Aidan looked... happy.

The happiest Isaiah has ever seen him.

Subconsciously, he finds himself clicking on the button to message him, growing more nervous when he sees Aidan was active. So after hesitation and consideration, he typed a message and sent it.

"Hey, It's Isaiah.  Isaiah Tovar."

He highly doubted the other would respond until a ding! surprised him. He felt the rush of anxiety coming back.

isaiah?

wow, i can't believe you're messaging
me.

it's been a while 😆

Yeah it has. I'm happy to see you're
doing well tho

Based on the pictures

yeah i am☺️

it's nice talking to you after so long

Yeah, same to you.

You look well, Aidan. You
really do

thanks💕💕

i have a job actually😁

in an office and it pays well

That's good for you

oh, i wanted to tell you. after you left...
i broke my promise that i made to you😞
until i started to see what you were
talking about

i wasn't ok and i didn't want to pretend
like i was

so i made an appointment with a
therapist😁

That's amazing Aidan!

I thought about you from time to time
actually

About how you were

i did too myself actually

but look at that, you messaged me😊

I just wanted to check up on you😊

thanks💞

my mom paid for my therapy, even
attended a few sessions with me
and now i feel really close with her😄
what about you

Well, after we separated, Karlos
noticed how I wasn't doing well. So he
told me to contact my old counselor.
I found out she passed away though

Oh i'm sorry

It's alright. But luckily, the lady on the
receiver knew me and gave me the
phone number of another counselor.
She's really friendly and we're actually
close friends

That's good!

Did I tell you I don't live in the U.S
anymore?

No! Really?

yeah i live in Germany now

had to learn a whole language and
all that🫠

I can imagine

tell me, how's everyone

karlos and your family?

Good, they're all good

how are you isaiah

Happy

Very happy

Are you happy Aidan

yes i am

when we stopped talking, i didn't
think of love or friendship for a while
but then i took a vacation here since
my therapist recommended it to me.
and then.... i met someone🙈

he's a bit older than me by like 3
years, divorced actually

we had a long distance relationship
for 2 years until i realized i was in
love with him. he wanted to live with
me in the US but i wanted to leave so
i did

we live together now and he makes
me breakfast and makes me laugh
and i feel safe with him and i just
love him so much🥰🥰

You do?

yeah, i'm glad to be in love and
happy with someone else

after you, i didn't know if i'd find
someone else

Yeah, me neither

karlos?

Yeah, we've been together for 3 years

I love him so much, he treats me so
well and...

I'm planning on proposing soon

i always knew the two of you would
end up together

i'm glad isaiah😌

I'm glad you're happy too

hey isaiah, i gotta go now...

Ah ok, well next time you're in town,
let me know and you can stay with
Karlos and I

In fact, you can even bring your
boyfriend I would like to meet him

isaiah you're doing it again

Doing what?

look i don't want us to enter each
other's lives again

it's just with everything that's
happened between us. i feel guilty
talking to you and i'm sure you feel
something strange talking to me too

Aidan was right. Isaiah did feel strange, even just texting him now.

i was just really unhappy in America

i'm not sure i'll ever go back😕

the memories lie there

it'll bring back so many memories i
don't want anymore. i'm happy now,
you know?

With my boyfriend, in a new country,
with my job in the office. i don't want
my past to hold me back

Isaiah doesn't either. He wants to let go.

I understand Aidan. I've always
wanted you for your happiness, right?

That hasn't changed

thank you❤️

hey i really gotta go now

Ok

What we had... it was nice while it
lasted right?

yeah, now you can breathe, right😁

you don't have to worry about me
anymore😊

Right

Goodbye Aidan

goodbye emerald💚

Things have changed over time. Isaiah has moved forward from the cracks his first friend/love left in his heart. The once strong connection the Isaiah used to hold onto him had dissolved into something stronger: growth. Back then, they just simply depended on each other for the myth that love makes one happy, that love makes the wild go round. For them, love was their downfall.

Throughout his life, Isaiah has met so many people and visited so many places. Each of those places and people has left a special place in his heart. He's watched these places and people change in front of his eyes. Some of them stayed, others left. Some still exist, others don't.

Isaiah has come to believe that change is just a way for a person to grow. You can't be the same person for the rest of your life. People will come into your life and change it. You will visit places that will change you. Change is a part of life that keeps you moving forward.

Now, as Isaiah and Aidan part ways for good, Isaiah doesn't feel heartbroken or sad. He feels at ease.

Nothing has ever compared to the pain Isaiah experienced when he was attached to a person, or perhaps the idea of them. The longing was just his mind tricking him when he thought no one but Aidan understood him. But he was wrong.

He had Karlos, his parents, and his coworkers. Just like he didn't have to worry about Aidan, he didn't have to worry about himself.

Aidan is right, he can finally breathe.

Once again, he recaps the life he's made. A caring boyfriend, loving parents, and a well-paying job. He's satisfied. He has everything he's ever wanted.

With a smile, he clicks a certain read button, then exits out of the website, closing his laptop to grab the remote beside him and turn on the television.

Isaiah never deleted that conversion after blocking the other.

There was no need because it didn't hold him back anymore. He had finally learned to let go.

THE END

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A/N: I wanted to thank you all for reading this story. It was more of a healing book for myself so it really means a lot that you stayed till the end. I really hope you support me in future projects and I hope you liked the story!!

Thank you!!