♦When we met, everything went silent. The chatter around us, the traffic outside, the bustle in the coffee shop, the unending thoughts racing through my head -they all fell silent at the sight of him. He sent a smile my way, and suddenly everything became loud again. Too loud. I couldn't think straight; there were too many voices conversing in my head. I didn't smile back; what if he wasn't smiling at me? What if that beautiful smile was meant for her, the ever-present her who invaded my thoughts and belittled my being. But then he spoke to me. I whispered my answers, afraid he wasn't really talking to me. And that was how it went. Every day we saw each other at the coffee shop. He called it "meeting" but I didn't dare hope it was more than coincidence. And then he kissed me. I asked him to do it again, because I didn't believe it was real. I was embarrassed, but he promised he loved it. And that's how it started. Every time I was insecure, he was there to reassure me, love me, lift me up. When he kissed me, he automatically swooped in for another three. When I hesitated in reaching for his hand, he grabbed hold tight. When I asked him if he loved me, for I was always scared the answer would be no, he would look into my eyes and breathe into me, saying yes. I finally began to believe in myself, trust in myself. But then it turned. He grew frustrated whenever I grabbed his hand; he said I did it too much. When I asked him to kiss me again, he told me that he didn't have time. When I asked him five times in a row if he loved me, he grew silent and angry. I grew cold, lonely, sad. And when he left, he took a part of me with him. Now I can't trust, can't love, can't believe in myself at all. My confidence, my heart, my being is shattered.♦