Love. That's what you thought it was.

Ty Andrews, your friend who has been with you through the ups and downs since 2nd grade. He was the type of boy who'd laugh at you for tripping. Despite that, he still became your friend. In high school, you became closer than ever. He grew out of his childish behavior and turned into a decent gentleman. His changes were subtle but significant. He'd cover your skirt when you needed to bend over. He'd offer you his hoodie when you bled through your white pants. He'd shield your eyes from the sun when you were napping near the window. He'd walk you home when the sky turned dark. Slowly... You fell for him.

Who wouldn't? He was ideal. The standard. But something held you back. Your friendship. If you confess, it would be a great risk for your friendship. It could either break or blossom into something more.

You thought maybe he liked you back. After all, his gestures were all green flags. They were enough to make even an anti-romantic fall in love. But you knew the risk was still high. To test the waters, you anonymously wrote letters to him every week. Every letter contained a piece of your heart converted into words. Just in case, you changed your penmanship to avoid suspicion.

You didn't receive a response, but your letters did make the corners of his mouth rise, even if it was just a tiny bit.

One day, you decide to write him a letter to meet him behind the school. You wanted to reveal yourself and confess to him. You wanted to take the risk.

But one thing happened that shattered your whole being. He held another girl's hand, visiting the classroom of the other section. He looked at her with unadulterated love and adoration in his eyes. Why couldn't he look at you the same way? Has his eyes always sparkled this way? Who was that girl? Were they together?

So you ditched the meeting. Slowly, you detached from him. You started avoiding him altogether. "Hey, is something wrong? You've been avoiding me this week." Ty sent you a text. To which you replied with "It's nothing. I'm fine."

A terrible lie. You weren't fine at all.

You went through days without talking to him. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Months turned into years, now you two are in college. Learning how to be adults in this cruel world.

You went back to your parents' house to gather your stuff so you could move in to your new apartment. At this point, you've forgotten about the past but still haunted by the ghost of what could have been. What triggered the ghost was a box of letters you failed to give him.

You read every single letter. Every paragraph. Every poem dedicated to him. The way you immortalized him through letters and rhymes. It was amusing to see yourself pour your heart over someone who wasn't even aware of how he broke your heart.

You made a decision to burn the letters. In your backyard you stood, holding the letters and a lighter in your hands. Your parents' house weren't the biggest. The backyard was located near a sidewalk. So, you had to make this quick.

You looked at the letters one last time, recalling the memories. You had to burn them. You had to erase him.

Holding the lighter in hand, you held a letter above it. Until... a familiar voice came from the sidewalk.

"Hey, those letters look familiar. Why're you burning them?"

Ty Andrews... He asked casually, looking through your fence.