—
**”Loves? Doesn’t Love? Or Just Herself?”**
“What do you mean you can’t decide?” Emily fixed her school friend with a glare so full of disapproval, it was as if she’d confessed to a crime. “If you’re torn between two men, it means you don’t love either of them. It’s as clear as day.”
“Maybe it’s clear to you, but not to me,” sighed Sophie heavily. “I like them both. In different ways. And each of them is lovely in his own right.”
“You just love yourself more than either of them, and that’s why you’re stringing them along,” Emily pressed on. “Someone who truly loves doesn’t play with other people’s feelings. It’s unfair. It’s selfish.”
“Easy for you to judge,” Sophie muttered, turning away. “Not everyone’s as perfect as you. I’m still learning what love is. I don’t have the experience. On Monday, I think the first one is the one. By Tuesday, I’m sure it’s the second. On Wednesday, it’s the first again. I just can’t make up my mind. It’s not funny. They’re both good men. And neither is a stranger to me.”
“Flip a coin if you can’t decide,” Emily grumbled. “Better than this agonizing back-and-forth. At least then your conscience would be clear.”
“Thanks for the advice. Maybe you should go toss your coins into a fountain for luck. And don’t forget—maybe you’ve never even had a choice. Or maybe there was never anyone worth choosing.”
“I could never lie like this!” Emily shot back defiantly. “I have Liam. He loves me, and I love him. Everything’s fine between us.”
“Yeah, yeah. Best of luck with that,” Sophie smirked bitterly.
…
Three years later, Emily sat alone in a half-empty pub, tears streaming down her face. A glass of lukewarm wine sat in front of her. That old conversation played on loop in her mind.
*Never say never*—who would’ve thought she’d end up in the same position? Only now, she was the one agonizing between two men. *Her*, of all people—the one who used to dish out advice left and right.
She’d been with Daniel for over a year. Everything seemed perfect. He was dependable, clever, caring. A dream of a man. And yes, he was serious about her.
Then, out of nowhere, Liam reappeared in her life. Yes, *that* Liam. Her ex. The one she’d once been with. The one who left because he grew jealous, suspicious, irritated over nothing.
They’d broken up when it became clear—he no longer looked at her with love. To him, she’d become invisible. Everything was *wrong*—what she said, what she wore, where she looked… Then came silence. The end. The ache. Months alone.
And suddenly—a call. *“Hey, how are you? I’ve got no one to talk to. Let’s meet…”*
She went. Out of habit. Just to prove to herself it was all in the past.
But there he was—a lost Liam. Broken. Jobless, with an ill mother, alone. And he talked. And talked. And she listened. And pitied him.
She never mentioned Daniel. Never said she might be happy. That someone was waiting for her.
Liam started texting. Calling. Inviting her out. They met up—innocently, at first. Then more often.
With Daniel, everything stayed the same. He was there. Attentive. Bringing gifts. Brushing her hand gently. Looking at her—*that* look. Warm. Loving. Always.
But Liam… it was like stepping back into the past. The laughter, the old friends, the nights out, the concerts, the trips. With him, it was like being young again. Daniel didn’t get it. He was serious. Busy. An introvert.
Emily was torn. Her heart was torn. Daniel—steady, solid, a future. Liam—someone she still pitied. And maybe still loved?
She replayed it all in her head. How to tell the truth? How to choose?
One evening, when she couldn’t take it anymore, she dialed Sophie’s number. To apologize. To beg forgiveness for those words.
“I’m sorry for what I said back then… I understand now how you must have felt.”
“Sorry for what?” Sophie sounded genuinely surprised. “I don’t even remember who I was choosing. That was so long ago.”
“Well, now I’m in your shoes. Torn between two. I can’t decide. It’s terrifying.”
“Do you really think love is about choosing *between* two? You just don’t love either. But you *do* love yourself. And if someone did this to you—if they were seeing two people—would you still love them?”
“No,” Emily whispered.
“There’s your answer. *No.* Because that’s what people do when they only love themselves. Emily, if one of them really means something to you—look at him. Imagine him gone. Imagine him walking away. Never seeing his smile again, never feeling his hand in yours…”
“Daniel,” Emily blurted.
A shiver ran through her. She pictured it. No more of his eyes, his warmth, his patience, his love.
And in that moment, she knew.
She knew exactly who she loved.
**P.S.** Sometimes, to hear your own heart, you just have to stop lying to yourself.
