We Are Not Ourselves Novels & Stories

At the space where something bigger almost stepped through me without asking. And I understand something I can’t undo. This isn’t just about winning. Or surviving. Or even choosing. It’s about how much of myself I lose every time I reach that far again. And whether there will be enough left when this is over to still call myself… me.

"You came to me, you needed me just as much as I need you and I'll be damned if I let you go anywhere!" "We can't Orion," I say. "I am sorry for coming here, I didn't realize what this would mean, and as much as I love you Orion, this isn't- I cannot be the One, we're much too-" I don't know the rest of the words, and my mind is a muddled mess as his lips crash hard against mine and I can barely keep it intact, in that moment it's not just the both of us, a kind of completion is seared into it and by some divinity or whatever, I feel infinitely whole.

She didn’t speak again until silence fell from exhaustion. Then she rose, her voice steady. “You fear losing yourselves,” she said. “But perhaps you never truly knew what you were to begin with. The Pulse isn’t rewriting humanity—it’s giving us the first mirror that shows who we might become when we stop screaming over the reflection.” The room stayed still. And from somewhere deep within the building, all the power screens flickered at once—then aligned, displaying a single sequence of words pulsing in faint silver light: WE DO NOT CHANGE YOU.

"Okay then, it seems like what you said is quite reasonable too, it would be very strange if the man who loves you came to our wedding and I could feel incredibly jealous because of this problem, besides how could I think that far? Telling you to invite the man who loves you is something I could never have imagined before and I really would never want to accept this so well. I will now try not to care and I will think so very positively because no matter how busy and no matter how we are we really have to take care of this problem and it is very good until finally we can find out whatever it is and we can prove to the world that we are a sweet couple without anyone trying to make our lives m

"But we can change what will. We should not allow ourselves dwell on a past we cannot change because, quite frankly, it won't change anything. We spent years, centuries, blinded by hate, despising ourselves for our perceived 'differences'." Lan in mind, I finished with a tight throat. "It doesn't always have to come down to our differences. We are more than that. And I believe given everything that's happened, those should cease to exist whenever we're around each other. To ourselves, we should simply be people."

Atlantic High. A school for dickheads and whores. Only a few of those rich kids didn't have a screw or two loose from their heads. The rest were full of themselves and knowing that I was in a country like Nigeria, where they could even burn off a gay person, I had kept my secret from everyone.

And they both just stayed like that for some time as if they were healing each other. “t's not bad if you do what you want to do. One should not stay stuck in someone else's dream. Your dreams, your ambitions make you, you. It's important to love ourselves and it's not selfish. It's important to cherish ourselves. Don't try to fit inside the cup made by society. Be unique and be perfect because your imperfections make you perfect.” She remembered her mother's words and a soft smile formed on her face. *

Imperfect. But full. Rooted. And entirely ours. The applause faded. The inbox grew. The world spun on. But in my chest was peace. Because we hadn’t returned to who we were. We had arrived—finally—as who we were meant to be. Together.

“And now that we have time for ourselves…” “It feels strange,” I finished. “Unnatural,” he corrected. I laughed softly. That was closer. Rest should have felt easy. Instead, it felt like learning a new language. How much of ourselves had been built around being needed? How much of our identity was tied to crisis, responsibility, sacrifice? When those things fell quiet, what remained? Us. But even us needed room to grow into something not forged by emergencies. Sol exhaled and offered me his hand. “Then let’s move.”

SHOULD! "Sure, get in my car!" Damn, really damn. Why are those words that come out of this selfless mouth? I really like being separated from my body parts. How could they not respond to what my brain told me to do? Basic bedebah does not know diuntung. I cursed myself, good. When are you going to curse yourself?