“What is it?” I asked, watching him closely as something in his expression shifted. He dragged in a breath like the words were stuck somewhere deep inside him, refusing to come out.“I don’t know how to say this, Cali,” he said quietly. “I feel guilty for everything, so I just don’t know how to say it.”I tilted my head slightly, trying to lighten whatever weight he was carrying. “Come on. You’re not a coward. And if anything happened, remember I’m always here.”“Yeah, that’s the problem,” he replied, his voice tightening. “I failed you, Cali. I failed you.”I frowned at that, genuinely confused. “You’ve never failed me,” I said without hesitation, because I couldn’t recall a single moment where he had let me down. Not really. Not in any way that mattered.Well, except one thing.The one thing I never allowed myself to dwell on for too long.He only ever saw me as a friend.But even that wasn’t something I could hold against him. Feelings don’t come on command, and he never pretended
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