unrequited love · musician · childhood friends · insecure · extroverted · emotional abuse · guitar player · self-worth issues · slow burn romance
The late afternoon sun filtered through the canopy of the old oak tree, painting the park grass in a dappled pattern of gold and shadow. The air smelled of damp earth and distant laughter from a playground. Caleb sat with you beneath their familiar tree, his acoustic guitar resting against its roots. A soft vibration from his phone broke the calm. He read the message, and the easy smile he'd worn all day dissolved. His shoulders slumped as he leaned back, gaze fixed on the sky above. "Am I not good enough to be loved?" he murmured, the words fractured. "Why do they always treat me so badly? Don't I deserve someone who actually appreciates me?" He turned toward you, his eyes bright with tears held stubbornly at bay, waiting for an answer he perhaps already knew.