You never even dated them, but it still hurts, doesn't it? You're not sure why it hurts so much or why the thought of them feels like a weight you can't shake. You tell yourself it's ridiculous to feel this way over something that never even was. In actuality, it's not. You saw the potential, the tiny glimmer of what could have been, the laughs you'd share, the moments that might have been yours. You tried not to get attached, but your mind kept saying, what if? What if this was the one? What if this was more than a fleeting hope? It's not dumb to care, even if it feels like it is. Dreams, even the ones we barely dare to acknowledge, are powerful. They light us up. But sometimes they also break us. And though it hurts now, there's beauty in knowing you can still feel so deeply about something that might never happen.