Footprints…

Time, mystical time, cuttin' me open, then healin' me fine...Invisible Strings.

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Ever since I learned the meaning of love, he had been the one. A childhood bond that blossomed into something deeper, something enduring. His strength was my shelter; his height was a playground where I soared on piggyback rides.

As time passed, he grew into a star athlete, a giant among his peers on the basketball court. He was the center of attention, the object of many desires, but in the spotlight's glare, he chose me. I never questioned his choice; I was simply there, his steadfast companion, until the day he spread his wings and took flight. His departure was swift, a liberation that left me questioning if I had been a weight on his shoulders.

'Now, beyond my grasp,' I thought, staring blankly at the magazine in my hand. The face that once looked only at me now looked out from a glossy cover, his transition from a celebrated athlete to a promising actor complete.

I remember the envy of my classmates when he sent me flowers—a gesture so grand it seemed lifted from storybooks. And though he was crowned prom king with another by his side, he assured me of my place in his heart. I danced through life believing in our fairy tale, not realizing that he was never truly mine to call king.

The warning signs were there, hidden in stolen glances and whispered rumors; their images splashed across the school magazine and now this very publication. Their pairing was inevitable, a narrative as old as time—two stars aligned in the public eye.

I defended our love with a fierce tenacity, mending the rifts his indiscretions had torn with the threads of my unwavering empathy and the very essence of my being. Yet, it was I who bled for our love, believing it was a shared hue of red that coloured us, but it was solely my blood that stained the canvas; I stood alone, a solitary soldier in a one-sided battle.

Looking back, the pitying glances and cautionary words of my friends stand out in stark relief. They witnessed his apathy juxtaposed against my blind devotion, recognizing that I was worthy of so much more. Yet, love was the creed I lived by, and he, my revered deity. I clung to my faith with fervor until it disintegrated, leaving me in the ruins, pondering whether I had ever truly relinquished my grip.

Because now I felt like I was sinking again into the habits I thought I had left behind. Sinking into that pit of depression until…

"Love," My heart flipped and kicked like a wild stallion when a familiar voice called for me from behind, rescuing me from my deadly thoughts.

I turned around to see him standing there, a smile on his face that melted my heart. Like a child in the womb kicking at its favorite tune, a smile bloomed on my face. Forgotten was the magazine and first love. This is what mattered most, the present.

"Gabriel." I breathed his name as I took a step closer, willingly and without hesitation. Feeling lighter as a petal, a rush of emotions flooded my senses, pulling me to him; like the invisible strings of gold drawn to him.