The waves of love in my life

Mira felt it before she saw her.

That tightening in her chest.

That shiver crawling up her spine like a memory you can't un-feel.

She was sitting at a café, waiting for Aaron, sipping coffee that had gone cold ten minutes ago. The rain had stopped, but the city felt heavy—like it was bracing for something.

When Lena walked in, everything else vanished.

Same sharp eyes. Same quiet fury behind them. Only now, it wasn't sadness that followed her—it was purpose.

Mira didn't speak.

Neither did Lena.

They just stared at each other, across a table filled with everything they hadn't said.

Finally, Mira broke the silence.

"You shouldn't be here."

Lena smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I think I should've been here all along."

Mira swallowed. "You're angry."

"No," Lena said. "I'm exhausted. And I'm not here for a reunion. I'm here for the truth."

Mira's hand tightened around the coffee cup. "You think I don't carry the weight of what happened? Every day?"

Lena leaned forward. "You carry the memory. But you buried the wreckage. You let everyone think you rebuilt yourself—but what about the people you left bleeding when you walked away?"

Mira flinched.

Lena's voice softened, but her words still cut. "You think your recovery is the end of the story. But it's only yours, Mira. The rest of us are still living in the chapters you closed."

Tears welled in Mira's eyes. "I didn't know how to bring you with me."

"You didn't even try."

That was the truth. Mira had shut the door and told herself it was for survival. She chose silence. Chose distance. Chose disappearing—because it was easier than looking in the mirror and seeing all the people she failed.

"I loved you, Lena. Like family."

Lena's voice cracked. "Then why did you leave me behind like I didn't matter?"

Mira broke. The tears came fast this time, real and raw.

"I thought I'd break you too," she whispered. "And I couldn't stand the idea of ruining someone good. So I walked away before I dragged you into the dark with me."

Lena stared at her, eyes brimming—but not with anger anymore. Something sadder. Something that looked like heartbreak.

"You didn't drag me," she said. "You left me there. Alone."

A silence fell. Not cruel. Just honest.

Then Lena stood. "I'm not here to destroy what you've built, Mira. I'm just here to make sure you remember what it cost."

She walked away before Mira could reply.

And as the door shut behind her, Mira sat frozen—because she finally realized the truth:

Healing isn't forgetting.

It's facing the ruins without running.

And for the first time in years, Mira knew exactly what she had to do next.