🌫️Unrequited Confessions - Flash Fiction
On love, regret, and the quiet relief of finally saying it out loud
Shallow breaths echoed as he tried to find the words. "I've always been into you, now more than before." Swallowing hard, moving beyond the uncertainty, beyond his fears, he continued. "At times, my ego made it harder to say something, while holding onto the idea that one day you would tell me. That, you would look at me and realize I was there in front of you the whole time." A veil of guilt draped over, but a warm feeling aroused inside her. She embraced him, not knowing how to reciprocate best— that his longing was mutual and never one-sided.
See the Illustrated Zine. It will be published on 3/9/2026
✍️ Author’s Note
I think we've all been in that space — wanting to say what we feel, but afraid of rejection, unsure of ourselves. There are so many moments when we have the opportunity to overcome that fear, yet somehow let it pass.
This story came from that place. And from a quote by Karen Salmansohn that stopped me mid-thought:
"The only way to heal deep wounds is through forgiveness."
There's a particular kind of regret that doesn't live in what we did but lives in what we waited too long to say. I don’t recall where I read the quote, but it resonated with me.
It made me think about the courage it takes to say what's important — especially in matters of love — and how forgiveness isn't always about someone else. Sometimes it begins with the version of you that waited too long to speak.
No matter how far along you are in life, it's never too late to say what matters. To the people you love. To yourself. And overcoming that fear? That's also a way to forgive yourself and heal, all at the same time.
With this particular story, I decided to take a different approach to formatting. It dawned on me recently that we could stylize some of these stories like spoken poetry.
This was a first attempt, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed figuring out the mechanics of what felt visually right.
I'll be trying new techniques with future stories — How exciting is that!?
💭 A Question for You
I’d love to know if you’ve shared this experience. Has there something you’ve been holding back — not out of indifference, but because saying it out loud made it too real?