To Kyle,

I should have stayed a little longer I still remember the last time we spoke like it was nothing. That is the part that hurts. There was no dramatic ending. No shouting. No final speech. Just two people slowly becoming strangers while pretending it was normal. I wish I had stayed a little longer in that conversation. I wish I had asked one more question. I wish I had been brave enough to say, “Are we okay?” before we clearly were not. Maybe nothing would have changed. Maybe everything would have. I think regret is not always about what you did. Sometimes it is about the small moment where you could have reached out, but chose to protect your pride instead. I protected mine. And I lost you quietly.