Before I walk away

"David... why are you here?"

I froze mid-step, my coffee spilling slightly on the pristine white counter of my small apartment. His voice, calm yet laced with the arrogance I remembered all too well, made my heart thud painfully in my chest.

It had been five years since David left. Five years of heartbreak, rejection, and pretending I'd moved on. And now, here he was, standing in my doorway, looking exactly the same-maybe even better. The same sharp jawline, the same piercing eyes that used to see right through me, and that infuriatingly confident smile.

"You're still mad at me," he said, almost accusingly, as if I owed him an explanation.

"Mad? No, I'm... shocked," I admitted, though my voice trembled. "And maybe a little terrified that you actually showed up at my door without warning."

He stepped closer, unbothered by my attempt to back away. "I had to see you, Emma. There's... something I need to tell you."

My stomach dropped. Something he needs to tell me? Could this be the apology I've been waiting for-or worse, another reason to regret ever loving him?

"You left me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "After everything... you just walked away."

David flinched slightly. "I know. And I was wrong. I know that now. But things were complicated... things I couldn't explain back then."

I laughed bitterly. "Complicated? That's your excuse for leaving me crying in the middle of the street while you chased your so-called 'dream'?"

He winced, clearly not expecting my anger. "Emma, I never stopped thinking about you-not for a single day. I had to make choices back then... choices I regretted immediately. But I didn't know how to fix it."

I felt my chest tighten. Every memory-the hurt, the sleepless nights, the tears-came rushing back.

"Why now?" I asked, trying to steady my voice. "Why after five years of silence?"

David looked down for a moment, then back at me with a gaze that made my knees almost buckle. "Because I can't leave things like this anymore. I came back to make things right. To... try again."

I swallowed hard. "Try again? You mean... pick up where we left off?"

He nodded slowly. "If you'll let me."

I wanted to scream at him, to tell him how impossible this was. And yet, part of me-the part I had buried deep beneath layers of pride and resentment-wanted to throw myself into his arms and never let go.