Don’t know what to do without you.

Noah

I found myself staring blankly at my phone screen, the notifications from Lily flooding in relentlessly. Text messages, missed calls, all piling up like unopened letters on a doorstep. Each buzz felt like a jab, a reminder of my own inadequacy. But I couldn't bring myself to answer, to engage with her, because I didn't know what to say. I was trapped in this suffocating cloud of self-doubt, and I didn't want to drag her into it.

Lily had always been there for me, through thick and thin. She was my rock, my anchor in the stormy sea of life. But right now, I felt like I was drowning, and I didn't want to drag her down with me. So, I let her messages go unanswered, each one gnawing at me with guilt and uncertainty.

"Why aren't you answering, Noah? Is everything okay?" Her words echoed in my mind, each syllable carrying a weight I couldn't bear. I knew she was worried, that she cared deeply for me, but I couldn't find the strength to respond.

I scrolled through our past conversations