Not because Ananya and Ploy loved each other less.

But because they loved each other too much.

Every smile now carried fear underneath it.

Every goodbye lasted slightly longer.

Every touch silently asked:

“How much time do we still have?”

—

One evening, Ananya stood alone inside the café closing tables quietly.

Her movements felt slower lately.

Tired.

Emotionally exhausted.

Even sleep had started becoming difficult.

Because every night, one terrifying thought repeated endlessly inside her mind:

“What if loving me destroys Ploy’s life?”

The thought poisoned everything.

Her peace.

Her happiness.

Even their beautiful moments.

Suddenly—the café door opened.

Ploy walked inside wearing a simple black dress and tired eyes.

The moment Ananya saw her—her heart still softened automatically.

Always.

No matter how painful things became.

Ploy smiled weakly.

“You waited for me?”

Ananya nodded softly.

“I always do.”

That sentence hurt both of them unexpectedly.

Because it sounded too permanent for a love the world refused to accept.

—

Later, they sat together near the quiet window corner again.

Rain fell softly outside.

Bangkok lights blurred beautifully across wet roads.

But tonight, the silence between them felt heavier than usual.

Ploy noticed immediately.

“You’re thinking too much again.”

Ananya looked down quietly.

Ploy’s expression softened.

“Talk to me.”

Silence.

Then finally—

“What if…”

Ananya’s voice weakened.

“…what if I’m being selfish by loving you?”

Ploy froze instantly.

“What?”

Ananya’s fingers tightened around the tea cup.

“Your family is hurting.”

“Ananya—”

“You’re losing peace because of me.”

“No.”

“You’re fighting everyone because of me.”

Ploy’s chest tightened painfully.

Because she finally understood what was happening.

Ananya wasn’t pulling away because she loved less.

She was preparing herself to sacrifice love.

And that terrified Ploy more than anything else.

Immediately, Ploy moved closer.

“Look at me.”

Ananya stayed silent.

“Ananya.”

Slowly, she lifted her eyes.

They were already filled with tears.

Ploy’s heart broke instantly.

“You think loving you ruined my life?”

Ananya looked away weakly.

“I don’t know anymore.”

That sentence hurt like betrayal.

Not intentional betrayal.

The painful kind born from fear.

Ploy laughed softly in disbelief.

“Before meeting you…”

Her voice cracked slightly.

“…I was emotionally empty.”

Ananya’s tears fell silently now.

Ploy continued shakily,

“I smiled because people expected me to.”

Another tear escaped.

“I lived like someone surviving, not living.”

Then softly—

“You changed that.”

The café became painfully quiet.

Rain echoed around them.

Ploy reached forward and gently held Ananya’s trembling hands.

“You are not my suffering.”

Her eyes filled completely now.

“You are my peace.”

That sentence shattered Ananya emotionally.

Because deep inside…

all she wanted was to protect this girl.

Even if protecting her meant losing her.

Ananya whispered weakly,

“But what if one day you regret us?”

Ploy immediately shook her head.

“No.”

“You don’t know the future.”

“I know my heart.”

Silence again.

Dangerous silence.

Then suddenly—Ananya spoke the words she feared most.

“Maybe we should stop before things become worse.”

Everything stopped.

Ploy stared at her as if the world had suddenly disappeared beneath her feet.

For several seconds—she couldn’t even breathe properly.

Then quietly—

“What?”

Ananya immediately cried harder.

“I’m scared.”

Ploy’s voice broke completely.

“So your solution is leaving me?”

“No—”

“Then what is this?”

Pain entered every word now.

Real pain.

The kind impossible to hide.

Ananya covered her face weakly.

“I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Ploy stood up suddenly.

Not angry.

Heartbroken.

Which was somehow worse.

“You promised me something.”

Ananya looked up through tears.

Ploy’s own tears were falling now too.

“You promised you wouldn’t leave me emotionally when life became difficult.”

That memory hit Ananya painfully.

The candlelight night.

The promise.

The warmth.

God.

How did they reach this point already?

Ploy laughed weakly through tears.

“I was terrified every day that society would separate us…”

Her voice cracked.

“But I never thought you would try first.”

That sentence completely destroyed Ananya.

Immediately she stood up too.

“No—Ploy—please—”

But Ploy stepped back slightly.

Not far.

Just enough to show pain.

And somehow that small distance hurt more than screaming would have.

Ploy wiped her tears helplessly.

“Do you know what hurts most?”

Ananya couldn’t even speak anymore.

Ploy looked at her with heartbreaking sadness.

“You love me so much…”

Another tear rolled down.

“…that you’re willing to become the person who breaks my heart.”

Silence.

Only rain.

Only heartbreak.

Only two people loving each other deeply while fear slowly poisoned their happiness.

Finally—Ananya walked toward her slowly.

Carefully.

Like approaching someone already wounded.

Then with trembling hands—she held Ploy’s face gently.

“I’m sorry.”

Ploy closed her eyes immediately at the touch.

Because even now—even hurt—her heart still moved toward Ananya automatically.

Ananya whispered through tears,

“I don’t want to leave you.”

“Then don’t.”

Simple answer.

Impossible situation.

Ploy opened her eyes slowly.

Red from crying.

Beautiful even in pain.

Then softly—

“Fight beside me…”

Her voice trembled.

“…not against us.”

That sentence entered Ananya’s heart quietly.

Deeply.

And standing there beneath soft café lights and endless Bangkok rain—Ananya finally realized something terrifying:

The moment she tried to protect Ploy by leaving…

she almost became the very thing that hurt her most.