Chapter 4: The Walls Start Cracking

It was only a matter of time before the wall I'd built around myself started to crack. And of course, it had to be with Isaiah.

I'd never let myself get this close to anyone, not since everything happened. Not since my mom died, not since my dad left, and sure as hell not after all the shit I went through with my ex. Loving people only meant they'd leave. They always do.

But Isaiah... he wasn't like everyone else. He didn't leave. Not yet, at least. And maybe that's why I was terrified. Maybe I was scared because I didn't want to fall for him, only for him to turn around and prove me right—prove that everyone I loved would leave eventually.

That night, when I was walking home alone, I got a text from him.

"Amir, I don't know what this is, but I don't want it to end. I don't want to fuck this up."

I stared at the screen for a minute, my heart pounding in my chest. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? Did he feel the same way?

But before I could respond, I got another text from him. This time, it just said, "I think I'm falling for you."

And in that moment, I knew that I was already in too deep.

I'll keep it real—falling for someone is scary as hell. And letting someone fall for you? Even scarier.

But with Isaiah... it felt like maybe this time, things could be different.