Hai? Hello? (Drain’s perspective)

“Huh? I don’t want you to be with anyone, Hai. I just want you.”

“No…” she sighed heavily

She sat across from me, her face unreadable, but something in her eyes felt… final.

Please, Hai… It didn’t make sense. We were fine. We were always fine. _Weren’t we?_

I opened my mouth, but for the first time, I didn’t know what to say. She had always been the one to make things right, she’s always the first one to confront this, to bridge the distance when between us

“I didn’t even realize there was space between us,” I muttered.

But now, she wasn’t trying anymore.

I started thinking back— how she pulled away first when I teased other girls, how she didn’t laugh when I called her jealous, how she didn’t argue when I forgot our plans.

She stopped arguing.

Her friends’ glares suddenly made sense. The sarcastic remarks, the way they shook their heads at her whenever she ran after me.

I never took them seriously. Because I thought she would always be there.

And now, she was leaving.

“It’s so sudden,” I whispered.

She gave me a sad smile. “No, Drain. It’s not.”

And just like that, she was gone.

March 21 2025 - 21 2025