The blue light of my laptop screen felt like needles in my eyes. It was 4:14 AM in Mexico City, and the distant sound of a garbage truck was the only thing breaking the silence of my apartment. Across the video call, Sofia was spiraling. "Mateo, ...
Emeka looked at the last ₦5000 in his bank account. It was supposed to cover his transport for the next week and maybe a few bowls of garri. But his thumb was already hovering over the "Pay Now" button on the online fashion store. It was her birt...
The neon lights of Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Road blurred into a smear of pink and blue outside the window, but Somchai didn’t notice the city’s pulse. His focus was entirely on the glowing rectangle of his phone. He sat in the corner...
My name is Faizal, and I’m from Malaysia. She was passionate about her charity work. Always posting updates about fundraisers, social campaigns, or volunteer projects. I admired that. More than admired—I was captivated. There was some...
My name is Liam, and I’m from Australia. She was brilliant. Ambitious. The kind of person who made everyone around her feel small because she seemed unstoppable. Her startup was her life, and she lived for it. And I… I lived for her....
He was from China. His name was Wei. Wei wasn’t loud about his feelings. He showed them quietly, practically, in ways that made sense to him. He believed care was something you provided, not something you demanded. So when she complained on...
Everyone in our circle knew Arnold had been waiting for that concert. He talked about it for months—the lineup, the venue, the exact song he wanted to hear live. He saved money carefully, skipped nights out, said no to small pleasures just ...
I’m Arnel, from the Philippines. I was never the guy who sent money or begged for attention. My currency was different. I gave advice. Careful advice. Late-night advice. The kind you only give when you actually listen to som...
My name is Min-Jae. I’m from South Korea, and for a long time, I thought losing myself was just part of loving someone deeply. I didn’t see it as a problem. I saw it as commitment. Devotion. Proof that I wasn’t selfish. I was w...
I didn’t think I was asking for much.I just wanted to see her eyes light up. My name is Noah, and for a long time, I believed that effort was everything. If you planned enough, cared enough, paid attention enough, eventually...
The silk felt like liquid moonlight between my fingers when I bought it. It was a slip dress, the exact shade of emerald green she once said made her feel like a different person—someone bold, someone seen. I’m not a wealthy man, but ...
The wood shavings in my garage were the only witnesses to the seventy-two hours I spent hunched over a block of walnut. My hands were mapped with tiny cuts and stained dark with oil, but I didn't care. I was carving a memory. Last month, she told...
The sticky sweetness of spilled soda still clung to my shoes from last night. My apartment, usually a haven of quiet solitude, was an explosion of streamers, half-eaten cake, and the lingering scent of a hundred different perfumes. It was 3 AM, an...
The calendar on my wall has a permanent circle around June 14th. It’s a ritual now—a painful, beautiful, and silent tradition. I remember the first time I saw that look in her eyes. It was three years ago, over a lukewarm latte. She t...
My name is Ethan, and I live in Chicago. I work in an office, a normal job, nothing fancy. But there’s a girl—Lila—who made every day feel like a test I wanted to pass. From the first time I helped her fix a report she messed up...
