The Unrequited

by Saffron A. Kent

“I know the endgame with him. I know the cancer is going to kill me, so I’m not begging for my life anymore.

Because I’m a girl who’s not supposed to be the love of someone’s life, not with my selfishness. I was meant to live in the shadows and secrets. I can be Thomas’ secret, for a little while, at least—until I absorb all of his pain and set him free.

the sound is like a gunshot, more jarring and deafening. It’s the sound of my castle falling through the air and crashing to the ground.

Bravery is like falling in love. You don’t know if the person will reciprocate, but still you fall.

I’ve thought about her heart a lot too. It’s big and fierce and soft and bright. It’s like a star or the moon or the entire fucking sky, and she’s giving it to me. She’s giving me the sky.

“It’s not pretty, our love story.”

I want her to see it in my eyes because I bleed with it, I burn with it, and for the first time in my life, I don’t mind it.

I wouldn’t mind it if she burned me alive or destroyed me. I’d keep on going. I’d keep on loving her.