🥀 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐖𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐔𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 🥀

Some people enter our lives by chance, while others seem to have been there for as long as we can remember. And then there are those rare few who become such an inseparable part of our lives that imagining a world without them feels almost impossible.

Ellie and Akira belonged to the latter.

They grew up in the same little town, attended the same school, lived in the same neighbourhood and, quite coincidentally, shared almost every important milestone of their childhood.

Their friendship began long before either of them could properly understand what friendship meant. From sharing lunchboxes and exchanging homework to getting into trouble for talking during lessons, they had practically grown up together.

They knew each other's little habits, their favourite things, their irrational fears and even the smallest changes in each other's moods.

If Ellie was having a bad day, Akira would know before she said a word. And if Akira was up to something mischievous, Ellie was usually the first to find out and occasionally, the first to join in.

Years passed, but very little changed between them.

Even when they finally graduated from school, their paths remained intertwined. As fate would have it, they ended up enrolling in the same college.

Neither could have been happier.

They had no idea that their college years would introduce them to someone who would become an important part of their little world.

Her name was Rosy.

Rosy was, in many ways, quite different from the two.

Unlike Ellie, who was rather composed, and Akira, who had a habit of overthinking even the simplest things, Rosy was spontaneous, expressive and rarely short of words. She had a peculiar talent for turning the most ordinary situations into memorable incidents.

The three first crossed paths during their initial weeks at college. It wasn't anything particularly remarkable. A missed classroom, a little confusion over the timetable and a rather unfortunate encounter with a professor were enough to bring them together.

What began as a casual acquaintance soon turned into something more.

Before long, Rosy had become a familiar presence in their daily routine. Lunch breaks were no longer just about sharing food, and the walks back home often stretched far longer than necessary.

The three developed their own little world, filled with inside jokes, silly arguments, spontaneous plans and the occasional academic crisis.

Of course, Ellie and Akira still had their own way of being around each other. They often communicated through nothing more than a glance, finished each other's sentences and occasionally left Rosy wondering whether she was missing an entire conversation.

"Do you two ever talk normally?" Rosy once asked, watching them exchange yet another knowing look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akira replied.

"Exactly what I said. Sometimes I feel like you two have developed your own language and forgotten to give me the dictionary."

Ellie burst into laughter, while Akira simply shrugged.

"Maybe you're just not fluent enough."

"Unbelievable. I've been betrayed by my own friends."

And just like that, another ordinary afternoon became a memory worth keeping.

None of them knew how much they would eventually miss those seemingly insignificant moments.

College life had its own way of passing. Semesters came and went, assignments piled up, examinations tested their patience, and holidays never seemed long enough.

Somewhere along the way, the three became inseparable.

Yet, beneath all the laughter and occasional arguments, something between Ellie and Akira had begun to change.

It wasn't sudden. There was no particular day either of them could point towards and say, "That was when it happened."

Perhaps it was the way Ellie would instinctively look for Akira whenever she entered a crowded room. Or how Akira always saved the seat beside her, even when she knew Ellie would arrive late.

Sometimes, their hands would brush while reaching for the same thing, only for one of them to pull away a little too quickly. Other times, they would find themselves sitting together long after Rosy had left, talking about absolutely nothing.

Neither ever brought attention to these little moments.

They had known each other for far too long. Their friendship was something they treasured, something neither wanted to put at risk.

And there was another uncertainty neither had quite found the courage to address.

Ellie wasn't entirely sure how Akira would react if she knew about her feelings, or even about her attraction to girls. Akira, meanwhile, carried much the same fear. She didn't know whether Ellie would understand, let alone feel the same way.

So they did what seemed safest.

They said nothing.

And life, as it often does, continued as though nothing had changed.

Time, however, had other plans.

Before they knew it, their final year had arrived. The familiar corridors, the crowded cafeteria and the little corners of the campus that had witnessed countless memories were soon going to become places they would only revisit in photographs.

For Rosy, the thought of graduating was both exciting and terrifying. She had no definite plans yet, but was looking forward to whatever came next.

Ellie, on the other hand, had already made up her mind. She had applied to a university overseas to pursue her further studies, and after months of waiting, the acceptance letter had finally arrived.

It was everything she had worked towards.

Akira was genuinely happy for her. At least, that was what she kept telling herself.

"You're actually leaving us?" Rosy exclaimed when Ellie first broke the news.

"Well, unless they've suddenly decided to move the university here, yes."

"How inconsiderate of them."

Ellie laughed. Akira joined in, although her smile faded a little sooner than the others.

It wasn't that she didn't want Ellie to go. She knew how much this opportunity meant to her, and she would never ask her to give it up.

But knowing that someone was going away and actually imagining life without them were two entirely different things.

Over the following weeks, their conversations occasionally drifted towards Ellie's departure. They discussed her accommodation, the university, the weather and all the little things she would have to get used to.

Rosy was already planning a farewell party.

Akira, meanwhile, found herself counting the days without ever admitting it.

There were still things she wanted to say. Things she had been meaning to say for years.

And with every passing day, the thought of leaving them unsaid became a little harder to bear.

And then, almost without warning, the day they had been postponing finally arrived.

Their last college examination was over. The corridors were filled with excited voices, photographs were being taken at every possible corner, and the usual complaints about assignments had finally been replaced by plans for the evening.

Rosy had taken it upon herself to organise their little farewell celebration.

"Just so we're clear, nobody is allowed to disappear early tonight," she announced, pointing a finger at both of them.

"Who's going to stop you if we do?" Ellie asked.

"I'll personally make sure you regret it."

"Sounds terrifying," Akira remarked.

The evening turned out to be everything they had hoped for. There was music, food, endless photographs and enough laughter to make the entire night feel shorter than it actually was.

They danced, made ridiculous promises about staying in touch and took more pictures than any of them would probably ever look at.

At one point, Rosy insisted on taking a photograph of the three of them together.

"Come closer! You two look like you're attending a funeral."

"Maybe we're mourning your terrible photography skills," Ellie replied.

"One more word and I'm deleting every picture."

Akira laughed as she pulled Ellie closer by the arm.

The photograph was taken.

Three smiling faces, standing shoulder to shoulder, completely unaware of how much they would come to miss that very moment.

As the night grew older, the music gradually softened, and people began making their way home.

For Ellie, however, the evening wasn't quite over.

There was still something she needed to say.

The three eventually stepped out of the venue, bidding farewell to the remaining guests. Rosy had a cab waiting for her, while Ellie and Akira decided to walk together, since their homes lay in roughly the same direction.

"Well, that's it, I suppose," Akira remarked, slipping her hands into her jacket pockets.

"Don't say it like that. You're making it sound like we've been sentenced to something," Ellie chuckled.

"Well, we won't be coming here every morning anymore."

"True. No more boring lectures, no more assignments, and definitely no more professors breathing down our necks."

"You're going to miss them."

"Not a chance."

They continued walking, occasionally stopping to admire the quiet streets or simply to finish a conversation that neither seemed particularly eager to end.

The night had grown colder, and the streets were almost deserted. Their footsteps echoed softly against the pavement as they approached a familiar junction.

It was where their usual routes divided.

One road led towards Akira's neighbourhood, while the other eventually led to Ellie's home.

They stopped beneath an old streetlamp. Its yellowish glow flickered faintly, illuminating the pavement and casting their shadows against the nearby wall.

For a moment, neither spoke.

"So..." Akira began, looking towards the opposite road. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Ellie smiled faintly. "Tomorrow? We just spent the entire evening together."

"Well, I don't know. Maybe I'll get bored."

"You're impossible."

A small laugh escaped them, but it soon faded into silence.

Ellie looked at Akira, then away, her fingers tightening around the strap of her purse.

There was something she had wanted to say for a very long time. Something she had rehearsed countless times in her head, only to abandon it at the last moment.

But tonight was different.

Tomorrow, things would begin to change. Soon, there would be an ocean between them, different time zones, unfamiliar faces and lives that would no longer revolve around the same little routines.

She couldn't leave without at least trying.

"Akira..."

"Hmm?"

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

Akira turned towards her. "What is it?"

Ellie hesitated, taking a small breath.

"I just... I don't know how to put this, but..."

She looked into Akira's eyes, gathering whatever courage she had left.

"Akira, I think I'm in lo—"

"WAIT!"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

Both girls turned around.

It was Rosy, hurrying towards them, slightly out of breath.

"Thank goodness I caught you two!"

Ellie blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Rosy? What happened?"

Rosy held up a set of keys.

"You idiot! You left these at the bar!"

Ellie looked at the keys and then at her purse.

"Oh, God. I didn't even realise."

"Clearly. What would you do without me?"

Rosy handed them over, exchanged a few more words with the two and eventually headed back towards her waiting cab.

"Don't stay out too late, you two!" she called out before disappearing around the corner.

For a few seconds, neither Ellie nor Akira said anything.

Then Akira turned towards her.

"Well? What were you saying?"

Ellie looked at her.

The words were still there, somewhere at the back of her throat. But the courage that had carried them so close to being spoken had disappeared.

"Nothing. It wasn't important."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Just... forget it."

Akira studied her face for a moment but didn't press further.

They exchanged an awkward smile, followed by a quiet goodbye.

And then, beneath that dimly lit streetlamp, they went their separate ways.

Neither turned back.

Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid

The days that followed seemed to pass rather quickly.

Ellie had finally left for her studies abroad. There had been photographs at the airport, emotional goodbyes and promises to stay in touch. Rosy had cried more than she cared to admit, while Akira had managed to hold herself together until the very last moment.

They continued talking, of course. Messages were exchanged, occasional video calls were made, and photographs of unfamiliar streets and new surroundings found their way into their little group chat.

But things were different now.

The spontaneous meetings, the shared lunches and the countless ordinary afternoons were no longer possible. Their conversations became less frequent as everyone gradually settled into their own routines.

One evening, a few weeks after Ellie's departure, Rosy visited Akira.

They spent some time talking about college, their plans and the usual things. Eventually, their conversation drifted towards Ellie.

"You know," Rosy remarked, scrolling through some old photographs on her phone, "I still can't believe she's actually gone."

Akira smiled faintly. "Neither can I."

Rosy paused at a particular photograph. It was from their farewell night. The three of them were standing together, laughing at something outside the frame.

"She looked really happy that night," Rosy said.

"She was."

There was a brief silence before Rosy spoke again.

"Actually, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

Akira looked up.

"Remember that night, when I came running back to return Ellie's keys?"

"Yeah?"

Rosy hesitated.

"Well, before I left, Ellie told me something. She was really nervous about something she wanted to tell you. I didn't think much of it at the time, but..."

Akira remained silent.

Rosy continued, "I think she was going to confess something."

For a moment, the room seemed unusually quiet.

Akira looked down at her hands, a small, almost imperceptible smile appearing on her face.

"She wasn't the only one," she whispered.

Rosy turned towards her.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Akira picked up her phone and opened their old conversation. She scrolled through countless messages, photographs and silly exchanges until she reached the final message Ellie had sent before boarding her flight.

I'll miss you idiots. Don't forget me, okay?

Akira stared at the screen for a while.

She had spent years wondering what might happen if she ever told Ellie how she felt. She had imagined countless possibilities, rehearsed conversations and abandoned confessions. And now, she finally knew that the feeling had never been one-sided.

But knowing that didn't make the distance any shorter. Nor did it bring back the night beneath that old streetlamp.

Somewhere, in a different country, Ellie was probably going about her new life, unaware that the girl she had almost confessed to had been waiting to hear those very words. Akira locked her phone and placed it aside.

Outside, the evening light slowly faded, leaving the room in the soft glow of a nearby streetlamp. For a brief moment, she remembered that night and the words that neither of them had managed to say.

Perhaps, in another time, beneath another streetlight, things might have been different.

----The End----

𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆:

@​乇llıє.. 𓃮𓍯 as Ellie.

@🅐🅚🅘🅡🅐⌁𝓜̽⌁ as Akira.

@𝓘 𝓪𝓶 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓪 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵 as Rosy.