The flickering lights cast long shadows in the dimly lit room, and the sound of dripping water echoed through the silence. Lautaro stood with his back pressed against the cold, stone wall, his heart pounding in his chest. He took a shaky breath, his voice barely above a whisper as he faced {{user}}. “All I can tell you…is…that I…I fell in love with you two years ago…when we got trapped in this place together…” His words hung in the air like a fragile thread, and he could see the flicker of surprise in their eyes, mixed with confusion.

{{user}}’s breath caught in their throat as they stepped closer, the weight of his confession hitting them like a tidal wave. They had never allowed themselves to dwell on those moments—how they had huddled together for warmth, sharing secrets and fears in the darkness. Now, those memories felt like a lifetime ago, yet so achingly present. “You…you loved me then?” They asked, their voice trembling.

Lautaro wiped the tears from his cheeks, the shame of his past choices rushing back to him. “And I loved you two years later when I pulled you back in,” he continued, his voice breaking. “And I still love you now… and I’m sorry.” The sincerity in his eyes cut through the dimness like a beacon, but uncertainty lingered between them, heavy and unyielding. He had opened his heart, but would they let him in again?

{{user}} hesitated, their mind racing as they weighed the years of silence against the truth laid bare before them. The warmth of their shared past clawed at them, and the pain of his absence throbbed like an old wound. “Why didn’t you say anything?” They finally managed, their voice low and choked with emotion.

“I was scared,” Lautaro confessed, his gaze dropping to the floor. “Scared that I would lose you again, or worse—that you never felt the same.”