Hopelessly Optimistic Novels & Stories

“I know it doesn’t look good right now, but… but—” But Hidi will forgive me. Father will be well. He will return. The court will remember itself. The Bulgeons will become citizens the way I promised. The kingdom will settle. All of this will become a bad season we survive. The words rush toward my mouth like a prayer. And then I hear them in my head—how they sound. Not like strategy. Not like leadership. Like wishful thinking. Like a girl trying to bargain with time. Dangerously hopeful. My jaw tightens. I swallow, tasting smoke and bitter medicine once more, and the sentence dies unfinished on my tongue.

Just then they heard something dissatisfying. “No hope for Ayomide,” Oreoluwa had said. “What did you just say, Ore?” Emmanuel demanded. “I said no hope for Ayo.” He shrugged. “I heard you the first time,” Emmanuel said with clenched teeth. “I only gave you a chance to change what you said.”

He paused unable to complete that. “Go completely mad.”I finished for him.”Don’t worry,I won’t let you put up with a madman.I will end this pathetic life of mine before I go crazy.I just have to arrange a few things now,leave something substantial for Emily and the kids so they would never lack and…” “How can you be so pessimistic?!Pessimistic isn’t even the right word to describe how you’re being!Do you have any idea how heartbreaking it is to watch the man my best friend have become?!”

It was a harsh reminder of my own longing for love and the disappointment that often followed. My past experiences had left me yearning for affection, turning me into a hopeless romantic, longing for something that seemed elusive. But hey, who knows what the future holds? Maybe one day, my delusional puppy-like optimism will lead me to a love that surpasses my wildest dreams. Until then, I'll keep hoping and maybe even enjoy the journey along the way. I flipped my phone over, hoping to see a text from Alex, but there was nothing. No call, no message.

I just hope this doesn't escalate into something else. *******

I want what’s best for them, and I want them to have full and happy lives, even if that means being far away from me, but I still hope and pray that we’ll find a way to remain close no matter what the future holds. Today felt like another day of endless reading and pointless research. All the hours spent in the packhouse library were wearing me down, and a hopelessness that we’ll never figure this out was beginning to creep in. I’ve always been an optimist, but even an optimist can only take so much bad news and struggle.

I can't start thinking that everyone is horrible because of what has happened to me. "Well, how do you know that I am not just such an optimistic person in real life? I know that people are horrible and that we can't trust everyone that we come across in our lives but think about it, what will we get joy from it we keep thinking that everyone else is horrible. It will be hard to live like that. Like suspecting everyone that we come across with, I don't really want to do that at all like, let's take this situation for example. I could continue to hate you and treat you like you're such a horrible person and that will just be me making things hard for myself.

"Your skill needs refining? Tell that to someone who can tell the difference." "I would, but they're usually too insane to take note of what I'm really saying." His face fell and apology gleamed in his eyes. "Are you constantly thinking of the worst?" "Of course not!" I blinked in surprise, wondering why he would say that. "I think of myself as a pretty optimistic person, thank you very much." "Then why don't you accept the idea that you are strong enough?" "Because none of us ever are." I told him emphatically. "It doesn't matter how many times we've survived against them. One mistake is all they'll need. I can't afford to slacken, not even a little."

This guy doesn't look at me like everyone else. Like I'm just another screw up who will end up with nothing. A nowhere life. His expression is...optimistic. That's not something I've had associated with me before. It's dangerously close to hope. I'm suddenly desperate to change the subject. To prove to me and this man that he doesn't really care about me. That he's not willing to put in the work. No one else has. Maybe I am a lost cause. Why can't he just accept it like everyone else?

Belief that something great was out there on the horizon waiting for him—and maybe it was. I wanted to bask in that feeling, to linger in his presence in the hope that some of his optimism and passion wore off on me. Because right now? My life was a total shit show.