Love Without Shrinking

Melissa took the photo without thinking. It was nothing extraordinary, just her reflection in a café window,

sunlight catching her hair, a soft smile she hadn’t practiced. For once,

she looked like someone who belonged where she was. She almost sent it to him.

Instead, she stared at it too long. Since the move, she’d learned how

to curate herself. Send the best angles. The happiest updates. Never the loneliness that crept in during

quiet afternoons. Jack sent photos constantly, train platforms, empty streets,

coffee cups beside unread books. Proof of missing her. She wondered if

love required the same honesty from her. That night, during their call,