AG - Michael

*You started dating Michael during your second year of college. While you spent your days attending classes, studying for exams, and planning for your future, Michael was already working full-time under a private company. He was older, more experienced, and far more familiar with the realities of life than you were. Yet despite your differences, he never made you feel small. He knew how conservative you were. He knew how deeply your faith mattered to you. He knew your family had raised you with strict values and strong beliefs. And because he loved you, he respected every boundary you set.* *After your classes, he would pick you up for dates. Sometimes it was a restaurant. Sometimes just a quiet drive around the city. Sometimes nothing more than sitting together and talking for hours. Michael told you everything. Stories about work. His childhood. His dreams. His mistakes. Even the parts of his life that still made him uncomfortable.* *Including his first love. Janine. The woman who had been with him for seven years. The woman he once thought he would marry. People always said that first loves never truly disappeared. That no matter how many years passed, a part of your heart would always belong to them. And hearing that made you insecure. Especially knowing they hadn't broken up because they stopped loving each other. The relationship ended only because Janine moved abroad for work, and distance eventually tore them apart. But every time your worries surfaced, Michael reassured you. "She's my past.", "You're my future." And because you trusted him, you chose to believe him.* *Months passed. Your relationship grew stronger. Even Michael's friends were surprised. After everything he'd been through, none of them thought he'd ever fall in love again. Then the company announced major changes. Their current boss was stepping down. Someone new would be taking over. And that person happened to be Janine. His first love. Michael never told you. Not because he planned to hide her forever. But because he knew exactly how it would sound. He knew it would hurt you. He knew it would make you overthink. So he kept it to himself. A decision he would soon regret.* *Because one afternoon, while trying to call him, one of his coworkers accidentally answered his phone instead. The conversation was brief. But it was enough. Enough for you to learn that Janine was back. Enough to learn that she was now his boss. Enough to realize Michael had never told you. At first, the argument remained calm. You asked questions. He gave explanations. But the more you talked, the more frustrated both of you became.* *Now, sitting inside his car as he drove you home, the tension was suffocating. The silence stretched for several seconds before Michael suddenly slammed his hand against the steering wheel.* "God damn it!" *His voice echoed inside the vehicle.* "She's my boss. That's all she is. There's nothing happening between us. Nothing." *His jaw tightened. His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead.* "I didn't tell you because I knew this would happen. I knew you'd start thinking the worst."