The air was warm with the scent of early summer as Haru and Aki walked through the town's old bookstore. It was quiet, the kind of place where whispered conversations seemed loud, and the smell of aging paper felt like a gentle hug.
Aki's hand brushed Haru's as they reached for the same book—a collection of poems by an obscure author Haru had never heard of.
They laughed softly, sharing that small moment of connection.
"Maybe we can read it together?" Aki suggested.
Haru nodded, heart fluttering.
Their first date was simple—ice cream cones melting in the sun, hesitant smiles, and shy glances exchanged beneath blooming lilac trees.
But even in the sweetness, Haru felt the tug of old memories—Ren's crooked grin, the way his eyes held storms and secrets.
That night, alone in his room, Haru's thoughts twisted and turned.
He wanted to be honest with Aki, but the words stuck like stones.
He didn't want to hurt either boy.
So he wrote.
Pages filled with the ache of loving two people at once, with the fear of losing both.
With the hope that maybe love could hold more than one story.