Never disturbed again

and after that,

I never disturbed him again.

I stopped messaging him, stopped checking his profile,

stopped thinking of reasons to reach out, and stopped

hoping for a message from him. even when something

reminded me of him, i didn't do anything. i didn't search

for his name. i didn't ask anyone how he was. it wasn't

easy. because it was real. and it was ours. but missing

someone isn't always a reason to disturb their peace. and

my peace. so i kept my distance. i let the silence speak for

me. i still think of him sometimes. i still wonder if he

ever thinks of me too. but even though a small part of

me still hopes he remembers me kindly, i no longer wait

for him. i've made peace with his absence. i've learned to

carry the love without needing the person. and so, i

never disturbed him again. not because i don't care, but

because i care enough about myself to not keep waiting

for someone who's already gone. and because i know

that if he wanted to come back, he would. and since he

hasn't, i take that as my answer.