Trying to Unlove You
Chapter 4: When Time Holds the Answer
When he finished telling me everything, neither of us spoke for a while.
The air between us felt heavy.
For the first time since I had met him, I finally understood why he had always kept a part of himself hidden.
His silence had never been because he didn't care.
It was because he was still carrying wounds that had never completely healed.
I looked at him, but he avoided my eyes.
It was as though he had just placed his heart in my hands and was waiting to see what I would do with it.
"You've been carrying all of this alone?" I asked softly.
He nodded without saying a word.
After a few seconds, he finally spoke.
"I thought if I kept everything to myself, one day I'd figure it all out."
I sighed.
"So... what happens now?"
He gave a faint smile, but I could see the uncertainty behind it.
"I honestly don't know," he admitted.
For a moment, I didn't know what to say.
His answer wasn't what I had hoped for.
But somehow...
It was the most honest answer he could have given me.
He looked at me and continued.
"I know I care about you."
"I know you're different."
"You have so many of the qualities I've always prayed for in someone I want to spend my life with."
He paused before continuing.
"But after everything I've been through, I'm afraid of making another mistake."
"I don't want to enter another relationship simply because I'm lonely."
"I don't want to mistake peace for love again."
"I don't want to promise forever until I'm completely certain that's what my heart truly wants."
His words broke my heart.
Not because they were cruel.
But because they were honest.
"So..." I asked quietly, "are you saying you don't love me?"
He quickly shook his head.
"No."
"That's not what I'm saying."
"What I'm saying is... I don't know what my heart is trying to tell me yet."
"I know I care about you deeply."
"But I need to know whether this is the kind of love that can lead to marriage... or whether I'm simply holding on to someone who makes my life peaceful."
He looked away for a moment before speaking again.
"I also want to become financially stable."
"I want to build something for myself first."
"If I ever ask someone to spend forever with me, I want to know I'm truly ready—not just emotionally, but mentally and financially too."
"I don't want to build a relationship on uncertainty."
"I want to be sure."
As I listened to him, I realized something.
He wasn't asking me to leave.
He wasn't asking me to wait forever either.
He was simply asking for time.
Time to understand himself.
Time to heal completely.
Time to become the man he wanted to be.
For a brief moment, I asked myself if I should walk away.
Maybe remaining friends would be easier.
Maybe letting go would save both of us from future heartbreak.
But another part of me whispered...
"Don't force what time hasn't finished writing."
I smiled gently.
"Then don't rush your answer," I said.
"I don't want you to choose me because you're afraid of losing me."
"I want you to choose me because one day you'll be certain that I'm the woman you truly want to spend the rest of your life with."
He looked at me, and for the first time that evening, I saw relief in his eyes.
Neither of us made any promises.
Neither of us walked away.
We simply chose to let time do what neither of us could.
If our paths were truly meant to become one...
Time would reveal it.
And if they weren't...
Then perhaps we were meant to remain two people who helped each other heal.
As I watched him leave that evening, one thought stayed in my mind.
Sometimes love isn't about holding on.
Sometimes...
It's about having enough patience to let time reveal whether two hearts are truly meant to beat as one.
They say time heals every wound.
But what if time doesn't only heal?
What if time also reveals who is truly meant to stay?
Only time will tell...
Thanks for Reading to this point of the story.
THE END
written by Shuliê -ink 🖋️
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