When the Silence Speaks Back

  It was almost midnight when Belladonna opened the drawer she had been avoiding. The third one in her bedside table. The one where she'd stuffed all the remnants of "them" movie tickets, polaroids, folded notes in Caleb's crooked handwriting, the silver keychain from their weekend trip to Ibadan. She didn't even know why she had kept it. Maybe because letting go completely felt too final. She pulled the drawer open slowly, as if touching the memories too fast might burn her. The photo sat on top, the one where they were both laughing—Caleb in his faded hoodie, Belladonna mid-giggle with her curls in a high puff. Her eyes had that gleam. The kind that only shows up when a person feels loved without question.

  She stared at it for a long time. Her thumb brushed against his face. He looked happy too. But that was the thing about pictures—sometimes they lied better than people. Across town, Caleb sat in his car outside his friend's apartment, keys in the ignition but no intention to drive. He'd been here an hour, engine running, mind stuck somewhere between regret and pride. He had meant to give Belladonna space. That's what he told himself. That's what he told everyone else too. But the truth, the one that gnawed at him every night, was that he left because he didn't know how to stay. He loved her God, he loved her but love came with weight, and Caleb had always been taught to run from heaviness before it drowned him. Vulnerability wasn't something he grew up knowing. Men in his world didn't cry, didn't talk, didn't stay when things got messy. They left and disappeared until their silence felt like safety but now, he was realizing that silence wasn't strength. It was cowardice in disguise. And Belladonna… she didn't deserve a man who needed to lose her before realizing her worth.

  Back in her apartment, Belladonna wiped her eyes and did something she hadn't done since he left. She wrote him a message. Not to guilt him. Not to beg. Just to speak her truth."I don't know where we stand. I don't know what you're thinking. But I miss you. And I miss me when I was with you before it started feeling like I was the only one holding us up."She stared at the message for what felt like hours, then hit backspace. Every word vanished. Not tonight. Instead, she picked up her journal and wrote"Love shouldn't make you doubt your worth. It should meet you where you are, even when you're not at your best. If he comes back, he needs to bring more than flowers and apologies. He needs to bring honesty. He needs to bring himself, whole and ready." She closed the journal. Meanwhile, Caleb finally started the car. But instead of heading home, he turned toward the road that led to her apartment. He didn't know what he would say. He didn't know if she'd even open the door but for the first time in a long time, he wasn't running.