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It was silent, as I sat on my bed in total darkness, I could only hear the chaos of the people outside, the rambling of the traffic and the leaves dancing to the rhythm of the wind. I was alone, waiting for a presence that had gone cold, I was left in the dark as the loneliness seep through my skin, shattering my already broken heart.
As I waited, thousands of questions filled my head— was that really it? will it really just end like this? Is there no chance of mending? I genuinely wanted answers but perhaps it has already been answered, I was just concealing it in the darkest part of my heart. It was inevitable anyway, sooner or later those strings that bind us will falter and break. There was nothing I could do as time itself had already told me.
There was no one to blame but the slow and agonizing passing of time, yet I could blame myself all day. There were things I could've done to prevent it but the guts that I always turn to told me not to try so hard cause it was hopeless. It was meant to end but I didn't anticipate that It'll end so painfully like this. I've always told myself that I am immune to any sorts of pain but I didn't know that having a broken heart like this is the most agonizing pain there is.
It's crushing, It's hollow, I feel like I'm drowning. I am running out of breath trying to swim, when in truth I lack the ability to swim. I will simply spiral down and under until my last breath escapes from me. There is nothing more painful than ending something that has always been meant to end.
I took a deep breath as I closed my eyes trying to find a single word to come out of my throat but as I was about to find it, I heard the door creak. I kept quiet and didn't say a word, I simply followed his actions with my eyes as pain started to hug my heart, making me feel numb.
He took off his jacket and settled it on the sofa, he then took off his watch as he took a deep breath. I could hear his frustration through the air he breathed out, and that left me scrutinizing myself again. It was probably my fault why he was frustrated. I am always the reason, aren't I?
Despite the darkness, I could see his face clearly, his eyes are a bit red, he looked like he didn't sleep even for a minute. He looked so pitiful.
As he approached the bed, he flinched when his vision dawned on me. He scrambled for the light switch, as he successfully turned on the light, all I could do was stare. The words I long to say were stuck on my throat, making me feel a huge lump that was so hard to swallow.
I could clearly see it, the spark that once filled his eyes was nowhere to be seen. Seems like it left a long time ago.
A deafening silence filled the four corners of the room as we stared at each other, unable to speak. I could tell that it was over, just by the look in his eyes. Or has it been over for a long time? I couldn't tell.
"Stell" He finally uttered after a long silence, "Ken" I answered and somehow it became a silent confirmation. It was over, and I had to leave.
His eyes lingered on my own until it went down to my hand and to the suitcase next to me. He took a deep breath as he once again looked at me in the eyes, he's probably looking for a confirmation but the answer was already given.
"Aalis ka?" He asked, it sounded funny cause why else would I be sitting next to my suitcase if I'm staying? I have no reason to stay, not anymore.
I only nodded to his question and slowly stood up, I looked at him as if it was the first time that I have ever laid my eyes on him. I truly wish it was the first time so I could relive all those happy times that made me feel whole but it's hopeless.
His eyes that I had always admired, his hair that felt so soft on my grasp, and his lips that told me a lot of things just by a soft touch on my own. It was all still the same but the passage of time slowly took those away from me. His eyes no longer sparkle whenever our eyes meet, His hair that I could no longer touch and his lips that I won't ever kiss again.
It's over. I lost, we lost, It simply ended, not with blame or hatred but the slow passing of time. We simply fell out of love, a slow and painful falling out of love. Somehow, my already shattered heart felt broken but it was inevitable, it has always meant to end.
"I'll get going" I said and reached for my suitcase, I took a step forward and another step and another, every step felt heavier and heavier until I reached the door. I was hoping for something to happen, my heart was yearning for a call but it never came. I know that once I walk through that door, there's no looking back, No second chances.
"Stell....." I couldn't look back, I cannot. "I'm sorry..." Suddenly I felt a lump on my throat as the realization dawned on me. There it was, the confirmation that I needed. I smiled, my back still turned, I didn't dare say a single word as I pushed the door open.
It was over, Stell. Get going, keep walking.
I took a deep breath as I finally stepped outside, the cold wind embraced my body but I could only endure with gritted teeth as I took steps outside of the house.
There it was, the years that I spent with him, gone in just a blink of an eye. I knew that relationship always comes to an end but it was more painful ending it on a tone of falling out of love. There's no one to blame, no accusations needed, no loud exchange of words, just the silence of giving up and getting the chance to walk away.
I'm sure it'll be hell to keep going, The loss will forever eat me whole but it's okay. It was better to let go than to force myself to bind into something that already broke.
It's a chapter that ended on a painful but needed note. It's over and it's okay.
The sound of the door closing stretched, heavy with the weight of words left unsaid. Ken could feel it unraveling, the delicate thread that had held them together for so long finally snapping under the pressure. It wasn’t sudden—it was slow, agonizing, like watching the last embers of a fire flicker out. There was nothing left to say, no desperate plea or apology that could fix what was already broken.
And as the realization sank in, a hollow ache settled in his chest. It was over. Not with a storm, not with screams or accusations, but with the quiet, inevitable passage of time. They had simply reached the end, and it was cruel in its finality. The hardest part wasn’t the loss itself—it was knowing that there was no going back, no second chances. The door had closed, and all that remained was the painful echo of what used to be.
It was painful letting Stell go, it felt like he was drowning, he felt lost, He could still feel the remaining weight of that something that he couldn't say, the love that was still there, yet somehow...... wasn't enough.
The day will come to an end, Even the greatest books ever written have an ending and his chapter with Stell is no exception, it will inevitably end.
As Ken stood in the dim lit room, a chill swept through him, stark against the warmth of their shared memories. The world outside continued its chaotic dance, oblivious to the heartache that now defined him. He wanted to scream, to shatter the silence with the words that clung to the edges of his mind, but he knew it would change nothing. The truth settled heavily in his chest: love, no matter how deep, can’t always withstand the slow erosion of time and circumstance.
Knowing that Stell was out there, walking far away from him, he felt the last remnants of their connection slip through his fingers like sand. His vision remained locked on the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of Stell’s silhouette, a fleeting reminder of everything they had been. But the space was empty, echoing the void left behind.
In the solitude of that moment, Ken realized that sometimes love isn’t enough to hold two people together. It can fade quietly, leaving behind only shadows of what once was. Yet, as painful as it felt, he understood the necessity of this separation—a chance to breathe, to heal, to find himself anew.
With a heavy heart but a determined spirit, he turned his back on the past. It was time to move forward, to embrace the uncertainty that lay ahead, even if it meant walking through the darkness alone. The stars would shine again, even if it will take a while, and perhaps, in the distance, they would find their own light once more—separate but forever intertwined in memory.
And with that, Ken and Stell stepped into the night, carrying with them the bittersweet weight of love lost, but also the hope of tomorrow.