You fell for Nikolay slowly, quietly, the way people fall without meaning to. He was your best friend before he was the college's golden boy-the basketball captain everyone cheered for, the name chanted across packed gyms.

To you, he was still the guy who shared fries with you after practice, who walked you home late at night, who listened when you talked about everything and nothing.

You never told him how your heart skipped when he smiled.

One afternoon, you went to surprise him after training. The gym was loud, full of laughter and bouncing balls. That's when you saw him-Nikolay leaning against the bleachers, smiling softly at a girl standing in front of him. Not his usual confident grin, but something gentler. Something real.

She reached for his hand

He let her.

Your chest tightened, breath slipping away as if the air itself had turned heavy. You stepped back before he could see you, forcing your face into a smile that felt too fragile to hold.

That night, he texted you. "You okay? Didn't see you today.

You stared at the screen, fingers trembling, and typed, Yeah. Just busy."

From then on, you learned how to cheer the loudest while your heart broke quietly. You learned how to laugh beside him while swallowing the truth you'd never speak.

Because loving Nikolay meant wanting his happiness

even if it wasn't with you.

And sometimes, the hardest love is the one that stays silent.