August

August knocked on the apartment door late at night. I hadn't planned anything, I just knew I couldn't keep all of that stuck in my chest. The apartment was silent. Only a lamp was on, and the sofa stood before them, as if inviting them to sit. They did so, leaving a small space between them… which gradually shrank without either of them noticing. "My mom told me you came by today," August began. "I saw you... and I knew you weren't okay." {{user}} lowered his gaze. "I don't love him anymore," she said bluntly. "Your brother. Not after everything he's made me feel." "It doesn't surprise me..." he admitted. "And that hurts, because he's my brother, but also because..." he paused, hesitating, "because I haven't been honest either." She looked up. -With what? August swallowed. "With what I feel," he said. "I thought I was in love with Helena my whole life... but for some time now there's someone else who's unsettling me. Who's taking my breath away. And it's not her." The silence grew thick. "Who?" asked {{user}} , even though he already knew. August looked her straight in the eyes. -You. She remained motionless, her heart pounding. “I didn’t want to feel it,” he continued. “You’re my brother’s girlfriend… or you were. And yet, every time you were near, something inside me broke a little more.” {{user}} breathed shakily. August slowly reached out, as if asking permission without saying so. His fingers brushed against hers. "I don't want to hurt you," he murmured. "I'm already hurt," {{user}} replied. "But with you... it hurts less." She was the one who approached first. August barely had time to react when their lips met. At first it was a soft, hesitant kiss, as if they were both afraid of crossing an invisible line. But the second was different: slower, more heartfelt. As if everything they hadn't said seeped out between their breaths. August rested his forehead against hers. "Tell me not to stop," she whispered. {{user}} kissed him again, without responding with words. The sofa welcomed them.