"When was the last time you cleaned your room, Moon?" Mom said, plucking the last weekends' sock from the corner of my bed. Woman, you were gone for a whole month. You think I can just survive without you. What you know though!
I hid my sheepish smile and said, "Don't guess, Mom. It's been weeks, y'know."
"Weeks?! Girl, what were you actually doing here?" She wailed and I looked faintly.
"You know I'm reckless, Ma." I said. She looked with her deadly eyes and a lump slipped down my dry throat. "At least be somewhat hygienic, Girl." She said, flicking her fingers on my forehead. Ouch. I smiled brightly as I missed such cute scenes a lot.
While cleaning, I looked at my Ma. She froze and her eyes were glued to only one thing. I laid my hand on her shoulder and she jolted. "Wh…What happened, Ma? Are you alright?"
"A-Ah! Y-Yeah!" She stammered, giving me hits of dubiousness. I narrowed my eyes and knotted my brows. "What's behind you? May I see that, Ma?" She hesitated. Looking at my hand, she blew a white flag and reluctantly, handed me a photo frame.
"It's alright, Mom. I don't feel anything now. You don't have to erase her traces to comfort me." A tiny bitter smile possessed my lips. My soft caress flew over the frame. My eyes softened when I figured out the perfect picture…
Of my breakup.
[That Day]
The golden hour spilled its honeyed light across the city, tinting the world in hues of warmth that mocked the coldness blooming inside me. I watched Tangwen's silhouette walking ahead of me, the hem of her coat dancing with the breeze, her hair catching the sunlight like a halo. She looked ethereal. Almost unreal. And maybe… that was the problem. She was becoming a dream I could no longer reach.
I jogged to catch up, nudging her gently with my shoulder.
"Hey," I said, offering her a crooked smile. "Race you to the bench?"
She turned, her eyes laughing even if her lips only curled faintly.
"Moon, you never win."
"I like to lose to you," I smirked, then sprinted ahead.
We collapsed onto the weathered park bench seconds later, breathless with laughter. For a moment, we were just us—Moon and Tangwen. No shadows. No looming goodbyes.
Tangwen leaned her head on my shoulder. "You always chase me," She murmured.
"And I always will," I whispered, eyes locked on the horizon where the sun was melting into the sea.
We sat in silence, letting the quiet fill the spaces between us, like puzzle pieces that no longer fit but still tried to belong. My heart beat painfully, each thump echoing the things I hadn't yet said.
"Tangwen," I finally spoke, voice low, "Do you remember the first time we came here?"
She nodded, gaze softening. "You brought two mismatched bento boxes and called it a romantic picnic."
I chuckled. "It was romantic. You ate everything even though I burned the rice."
"You were trying. You always tried so hard…" Her voice trailed off.
A weight settled over us. The kind that came before the storm. My fingers itched to hold hers, but I curled them into fists in my lap instead. If I touched her now, I might never let go.
"I've been thinking," She said, almost too softly for the wind to carry.
My chest tightened. "Me too."
Her eyes found mine, those familiar galaxies swirling with emotions. "We've been holding on to something that's already… slipping away."
I didn't speak. My throat was a battlefield.
She continued, "You're chasing a dream, Moon. And I—I think I became a part of it. But I'm not sure if I belong in it anymore."
I forced a shaky laugh. "You were always the biggest part."
"But sometimes being a part of someone's dream means losing your own."
Ouch. That cut deep. Deeper than I expected. I turned away, blinking against the tears stinging my eyes.
"I didn't mean to take anything from you," I said, barely above a whisper.
"I know," she replied quickly, reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair from my face. "You gave me everything. You loved me so fiercely… it scares me, sometimes."
"I loved you because you made me feel like I was more than my chaos. Like I was worthy."
"You are worthy," She said fiercely. "But I can't be the anchor that holds you back. And maybe… maybe I can't be the lighthouse either."
I swallowed the lump rising in my throat. "Then what were you?"
Her smile was wistful. "I was the ocean you learned to swim in. But now, Moon, it's time for you to fly."
I looked at her—really looked. The freckles I once counted like constellations. The lips I kissed after sleepless nights. The eyes that saw all of me and didn't flinch. I memorized her at that moment. Every inch of her. Every crack in her armor.
"I don't know how to be without you," I admitted, my voice cracking.
"Yes, you do," She said, standing slowly. "You were Moon before me. You'll be Moon after."
I stood too, my body aching with the weight of goodbye. "So… this is it?"
She nodded, stepping close to rest her forehead against mine. "I love you," She whispered. "And that's why I have to let you go."
A tear slipped down my cheek. "I love you too. Enough to let you go."
We stood like that—hearts pressed together one last time, breaths shared like promises we couldn't keep. Then she kissed me. Slow, lingering, filled with everything we couldn't say.
And then she turned and walked away.
I didn't chase her this time.
I sat back on the bench, alone now, watching the sun disappear beyond the waves. The cold crept in as night fell, but I didn't move. I stayed until the stars came out—silent witnesses to our end.
Even the sky knew we had loved.
Even the night mourned with me.
And somewhere, deep inside, I felt a small spark—faint but real. The beginning of healing. The echo of Tangwen's love not as a chain… but as a flame I'd carry forward.
The dream wasn't over.
It was just changing shape.
...…
"It was never easy to walk away…" My Mom held me in her warm arms after hearing my emotional breakup story. That gentle pat was comforting to me. She gave a smooch on my head that brought me to ease.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me the most." I smiled while looking at her. Holding her soft cheek, I told,
"You were always there, Mom. I know, you will." She smiled and caressed my hair gently.