"Shattering Time" by HamsiniTheButterfly
Genre: General Fiction
Content Warnings: implied death
The soft glow of the moon cast long shadows over the small park where Leila and Meera sat, nestled on the same worn-out bench they had spent countless nights on. The park had been their place -- hidden in plain site, where they shared everything, from their biggest dreams to their deepest fears. Tonight, however, it was quiet, the air thick with something unspoken.
Leila looked at her best friend, her heart a mixture of longing and dread. Meera had been different lately, quieter, more distant. It was as though a fog had descended over her, clouding the vibrant spark she once had. Leila couldn't help but wonder if the distance between them had been growing for longer than she cared to admit, or if it was just the weight of the unspoken words they both carried that had finally pulled them apart.
Image Description: A simple park bench with wooden slats and metal armrests sits in front of a small grove of trees. A golden sun, low on the horizon, breaks through the trees to illuminate the bench.
Credit: Gagandeep / Pexels
"Meera," Leila began, her voice tentative, "you've been off lately. Is everything okay?"
Meera didn't answer immediately. She only stared ahead, her gaze fixed on the distant trees, as though searching for something in the darkness. Leila had known her for years, had seen her through every heartache, every triumph, and every moment of self-doubt. But this...this was different. Meera seemed like a different person, like someone she could no longer reach.
"It's just...life," Meera replied finally, her voice soft and distant, as if the words were escaping her lips unwillingly. "Life changes, you know? We change."
Leila didn't know how to respond to that. Life did change, but there was something else in Meera's words. Something unspoken.
"I don't understand," Leila said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why are you pushing me away?"
Meera turned to her, her eyes soft but guarded. "I'm not pushing you away. I'm just...I don't know how to be here anymore."
Leila felt her chest tighten. "What do you mean?"
Meera hesitated, then stood up and began to pace in front of Leila. "I feel like everything has been so loud lately -- my thoughts, my emotions, my life. It's like everything is changing, and I can't keep up. And you--" She paused, her voice cracking for a moment. "You've always been so certain. You always knew what you wanted, knew what you were doing. And I...I don't know who I am anymore."
Leila didn't know how to respond. "Meera, you don't have to have everything figured out. That's what I'm here for -- I'm here for you."
Meera shook her head. "But I can't keep leaning on you, Leila. I need to find myself. I need to figure out who I am without you."
The words hit Leila like a cold gust of wind. She wanted to scream, to beg Meera not to go. But she couldn't. She didn't know how to hold onto someone who was slipping through her fingers.
"I don't want you to go," Leila whispered.
Meera looked at her with tears glistening in her eyes. "I'm not leaving you, Leila. I just...need to do this for myself."
The days that followed were a blur. They still saw each other, but it wasn't the same. Meera was quieter, more withdrawn. She had stopped sharing her thoughts, her dreams, her fears. Leila felt like she was watching her best friend drift away, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
And then, one day, the silence became unbearable.
Leila had heard the rumors. Meera had been acccepted into an out-of-state university. She would be leaving for a new chapter in her life, a new world. Leila didn't know how to feel- happy for her success or heartbroken by the reality of it.
She went to the park where they had spent so many nights talking, hoping to see Meera there, hoping for some kind of closure, but when she arrived, it was empty. The bench they had once shared was now just a forgotten spot in the park. Leila sat there alone, staring at the empty space beside her, waiting for Meera to show up, but knowing deep down that she wouldn't.
Leila's mind raced, filled with the things she had never said, the words she had kept locked away, hidden beneath layers of unspoken affection.
Why hadn't she told Meera how much she meant to her? Why hadn't she said the things that had been bubbling up insider her for years?
"I wish I told you sooner," she whispered to the empty space beside her. "I wish I had told you how much I love you -- how much you mean to me. You were my world, Meera. I didn't know how to say it then, but I do now."
The moonlight filtered through the trees casting shadows on the ground, but there was no answer.
Days passed, and Leila tried to move on. She kept busy with her life, her work, her responsibilities. But she couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that lingered in her heart. Meera had left, and she hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye.
One evening, as Leila was walking home, her phone rang. The caller ID was unfamiliar, but something in her gut told her it was important.
"...Hello?"
"Leila...it's me. Meera."
Leila froze, her heart skipping a beat. "Meera? Where are you? Wh-why didn't you tell me? I heard about the university. You never told me!"
There was a long pause before Meera spoke again. "I couldn't tell you, Leila. I...I couldn't say goodbye."
Leila's voice trembled. "What do you mean?"
"I'm sorry. I was afraid. Afraid of leaving, afraid of losing you, afraid that I wouldn't know who I was without you. I thought I needed to be alone, but now...now I know I was wrong. I should have told you how much you meant to me."
Tears welled in Leila's eyes as she listened to Meera's words. "Meera, I've always loved you. I never wanted you to go. I was just afraid, too. Afraid that if I said it, I'd lose you forever."
The line fell silent for a moment, and then Meera's voice returned, softer this time. "I'm sorry, Leila. I should have told you sooner."
Leila wiped her teers, a small smile breaking through. "Meera...I wish you had told me. I wish we didn't have to wait this long."
"I know," Meera replied, her voice filled with regret. "But you'll always be a part of me, Leila. No distance can change that."
The next day, Leila heard the news. Meera had been in an accident.
It was brief, a fleeting moment that no one ccould have predicted. Meera's car had collided with another vehicle on the way to her new life. She didn't make it.
Leila's world shattered in an instant. The quiet ache in her heart suddenly became unbearable. She had been so close -- so close to telling Meera everything, to finally saying the words she had held in for so long.
But now, Meera was gone.
Leila stood in the park where they had spent so many nights, staring at the bench they had once shared. She whispered into the wind, hoping that somehow, somewhere, Meera could hear her.
"I wish I had told you sooner," she said, her voice trembling. "I wish I had told you sooner," she said, her voice trembling. "I wish I had told you more about how much you meant to me, how much I love you. But now, all I have are the stars...and I hope you're one of them."
The silence around her was deafening, but somewhere deep inside, Leila knew that Meera was still with her. Not in the way she had hoped, but in a way that would never truly leave.
Leila closed her eyes, sending her love to the stars, to the girl who had meant everything to her. And as the wind whispered through the trees, she knew that Meera's spirit would forever be there, a quiet, enduring presence in her heart.
Moral: Time is the most patient thief -- it steals quietly, not by taking what you have, but by leaving you with what you never said. It slips through your fingers like sand. You'll wish you told sooner. Later, you'll tell it to the stars, hoping they were one of them.
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