But it was a quiet kind of love—not like the reckless, dramatic kind others had.

  He believed it wasn’t the right time for romance.

  He was young then…

  His heart was soft, still learning what pain meant.

  He saw her once. She smiled.

  In that moment, the world went silent.

  He didn’t know what to call what he felt.

  But everything inside him ran toward her—no questions asked.

  He would sit for hours thinking about her from afar.

  Afraid to approach. Afraid to ruin his innocent dream.

  One word from her was enough to erase all his worries.

  One glance… could turn his whole day upside down.

  But like any young boy in love, he felt small in front of that feeling.

  He couldn’t express it.

  So he simply felt it… and dreamed.

  Dreamed she’d look at him.

  That she’d notice him.

  But deep in his heart, something always whispered: “Maybe she’s not meant for me.”

  At night, he’d lay his head on his pillow,

  and live a thousand love stories in his head…

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  All of them ending before they even began.

  From that moment, he learned:

  Love can come too early…

  But not every heart is ready for it.

  That feeling grew with him without him noticing.

  He saved every moment of love like treasure.

  Every word, every glance, every fantasy…

  Became pieces of a story he could never forget.

  And whenever he tried to get close,

  his feet would tremble.

  Not from fear of her—

  But fear of ruining something beautiful from afar.

  To him, she was like a dream.

  And sometimes… dreams are better left untouched.

  He watched her from a distance.

  Memorized her laugh, her small details,

  and built entire cities of hope around them.

  And when their eyes met by accident,

  his heart would race like falling from a high place.

  He didn’t need much.

  That first love was a beautiful pain—

  like a cold breeze in the heat.

  It hurt… but he couldn’t let it go.

  As time passed, he realized he left part of his heart in that moment.

  A part that never came back, no matter how much he grew or tried to forget.

  One day, exhausted from the silence,

  he decided to do what others do.

  He left fear behind.

  Went to her—heart pounding,

  as if the whole world was on his shoulders.

  He gathered his courage, step by step.

  Stood before her.

  Smiled shyly—with all the innocence in him—

  and said in a shaky voice:

  "I… I love you."

  And right then… he saw something he didn’t expect in her eyes.

  A light laugh.

  A cold smirk.

  A harsh look that shattered his heart in silence.

  She said in simple, heavy words:

  "You? You're the last person I'd ever think of."

  He stood frozen.

  Like the air had been sucked out around him.

  He felt small… smaller than ever before.

  And inside him…

  the first real seed of fear was planted.

  Fear of loving again.

  Fear of never being enough for anyone.