Love Unspoken

The two bears that now caught her attention were the very ones Alexander had won for her at the arcade. The sight of them stirred long-forgotten memories, which slowly began to clear, as if a gust of wind had swept away the dust to reveal a vivid image.

It had been a sunny Friday afternoon. Quinn had been stationed outside the high school gates, her patience wearing thin as she waited for Alexander. As the sun began to dip, marking the approach of dusk, a boy in a white shirt finally emerged from the school, his uniform and backpack distinguishing him from his friends.

Upon spotting the young girl waiting by the gates, one of his friends teased, "Your little girlfriend's been waiting for you."

The boy responded with a playful smack to the back of his friend's head before leaving the group to approach her. Crouching to meet her pouting face, he flashed a smile and asked, "Have you been waiting long?"

In those days, she was innocent and guileless. She nodded in affirmation, holding up three fingers to indicate the three hours she had waited.

He scooped her up in his arms, his fingers playfully pinching her cheek. "Then I'll make it up to you," he promised.

the selection of claw machines. "Pick one, and I'll get it for

drawn to two bears, one larger and one smaller, nestled together. For a fleeting moment, she

but they were snugly wedged in the back of the machine, seemingly impossible to win. Despite his best efforts, which lasted until the arcade's closing time

Even though they were purchased, she cherished them as if they were hard-won prizes, clinging to

handed the larger bear to him, he accepted it with a smile. "Are you giving this to me?" he asked. She shook her head, pointed at the bear, and gestured, signaling that this one represented

this me?" he asked, looking again at the one she had kept, "And this one is you?" She nodded, took back the bear from his hands, and placed it

does look like a big brother with his little sister." Even though she was young and naive, his words made her feel differently

bear, she never played with them again. And she didn't know when

her profile with Alexander's, it seemed he had never changed his profile picture. For years, she had

By the time she snapped back to reality, her face was blurred with tears. Closing

her bedding ice cold, her hands and feet