Page 77 of Glitched Play

It doesn't stop my heart from surprising me when I least expect it.

I don't know where this new path leads.

Truthfully, I don't even know if it leads anywhere at all.

Maybe I'm reading too much into a few moments.

Maybe I'm making the mistake of confusing gratitude with something deeper.

Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up and realize I'm being ridiculous.

I almost hope that's true.

Because if it isn't...

Then I'll have to admit that the girl who spent ten years waiting for you is finally taking one hesitant step forward.

If that sounds like goodbye...

I don't think it is.

Not really.

Goodbye means forgetting.

And I'll never forget you.

You helped build the person I became.

No matter what happens next...

Thank you for finding me all those years ago.

For listening when no one else understood.

For reminding me that different was never the same thing as broken.

For every laugh.

Every game.

Every letter.

Every version of me you quietly accepted.

I'll always be grateful for that.

Always.

—Rune

I stare at the signature until the ink dries.

My vision blurs.

One tear lands near the bottom of the page, smearing the tail of the final word.

I don't wipe it away.