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What Happens When Love Goes Unanswered for Years?
After four years of loving in silence, I’m starting to forget what being loved back even feels like
Sometimes, I wonder, if true love ever comes to me, will I be able to recognize it? Or my silence and one-sided love have erased that part of me?
I never thought that love could feel like slowly fading away. And here I am, years in, and it’s like part of me has gone quiet. Love someone who can’t — or won’t — love you back; that makes all the difference. Initially, it’s that ache that refuses to leave you alone, invading every quiet moment. And over time, that ache dulls. You get used to it, even start craving it, and eventually, it fades into numbness.
That’s what happened to me. It started 4 years ago when I met someone who would change my life in ways I never imagined. I fell in love with her — hard, deeply, and hopelessly. But sometimes, loving someone means knowing they may never be yours. Two months after that, I developed a crush on her. And soon a year after that, 3 years ago, I started having strong feelings towards her. I laid my heart bare in front of her, vulnerable and exposed. She was gentle in her response, telling me she wasn’t into me. Yet somehow, she did it without making me feel small, and my respect for her only grew.