He didn't want to be another silent voice driving himself crazy with unspoken words. He didn’t want to be the man who tried to hurt her just to protect his own fragile ego.

There was a long, agonizing pause on the other end of the line. Leo held his breath, watching a blinking star directly above her building.

Leo pushed his untouched coffee aside and stepped out into the crisp night air. He looked up at the vast, indigo sky. The city lights tried their best to drown out the cosmos, but high above the skyscrapers, a few stubborn stars burned fiercely through the haze.

"I know I hurt you," Leo said, his voice raw and shaking. "And I know making up might not be your intention right now. But I need you to know the truth. I'm done holding back. I want to fall from the stars, straight into your arms. I feel you, and I just hope you can comprehend how much I love you."

“Too many hearts are broken, Leo. A lover’s promise never came with a maybe.”