“I don’t want it to end like this,” Lotte protested. Her eyes were red from crying as she rested her head on Liara’s shoulder. “Why do we have to break up?”

Liara leaned back with Lotte on the bed, overwhelmed and uncertain about what to say. She caressed Lotte’s hair in thought, and Lotte rested her head against Liara's chest.

“It will be alright,” whispered Laira, over and over—hoping it will come true eventually. “It will be alright.”

They both knew delaying the inevitable would only make their breakup harder. Yet, when Liara heard Lotte sobbing—her body moving ever so slightly—Liara couldn't help but hug her tightly, resting her chin on Lotte's head.

“It will be alright, Lotte.” Though her next words weren't much better. “How about we go to the city one last time?” she suggested.

Despite knowing it was prolonging the inevitable, they both agreed and rode the bus together. Liara wrapped her arm closely around Lotte. They tried holding back their tears but found it impossible.

As they walked through the city, with arms locked, Liara kept her hands in her pockets while Lotte nervously pricked at her skin. They looked at the nearby stores, old buildings, and passing people—anything to divert their attention from each other. Whenever their eyes met, they quickly looked away, unable to bear the sadness in each other's gaze.

“Should we go to the park?” Liara suggested eventually, and Lotte wiped her nose with a tissue.

They sat down on a bench, their hands brushing against each other. Liara instinctively moved away, unable to handle the closeness. “I’m not sure how much longer we should keep this up,” she admitted gently.

Lotte meekly nodded as they stared at the pond, watching the ducks and geese honking nearby. A single swan swam with its head dipped down while another flew in and landed on the pond. It flapped with its wings before its partner.

Liara glanced at Lotte. The two swans intertwined their necks and formed a heart, which captivated Lotte. She remembered the stories about swans mating for life and dying of a broken heart when one of them died. People considered them as very sociable birds, but Liara knew this theory was anecdotal, lacking conclusive scientific evidence.

Liara whipped a tear away with the back of her hand, thinking, “She’ll be fine without me.” Liara stifled a sob, unlike Lotte, whose tears ran freely. “Shall we go back?”

They walked back home without exchanging another word.

They sat in class the next morning without exchanging another word.

There were no more words that could come over their lips.

There were so many more words left between them, but it was all replaced by the pain of their imminent departure that they couldn't avoid. They knew the more time they spent together, the more painful their separation would be.

Classes ended in the same fashion. The last days went by in dullness until the fateful day came. Lotte had her arms wrapped around Liara’s neck, holding her in place on the couch.

“Lotte, it's time… we both knew it would come to this.”

Lotte’s arms trembled as she held onto Liara, unable to let go. Liara turned her hand and kissed one of Lotte’s hands to untangle their embrace. It was her last attempt to stay together, but Lotte hesitated still.

Her heart trembled as badly as her body, but she still couldn't bring herself to break the wall. Her lips felt chapped, her throat was parched, and her heart shattered at the idea of leaving Liara, who walked with her outside, hand in hand.

“This is it,” thought Lotte, feeling the weight crushing upon her. “The moment she lets go, it's all over.”

Outside stood her parents, oblivious as ever. Her father wore a tired expression, concealing his displeasure just for today. Meanwhile, her mother tried to look cheerful, which starkly contrasted with her daughter's sadness. She also noticed Ryoma with his mother a bit further off. They were engaged in conversation, but Lotte couldn't care less for the bystanders.

“Liara, please,” Lotte pleaded with a tiny voice. “Don't go.”

Liara didn't reply. A red-black car drove into the neighbourhood, honking and blinking its lights. “That's my ride,” Liara said softly, gently untangling from Lotte one last time. “I should get my stuff inside.”

“That's it,” thought Lotte as her mother pulled her to their side for emotional support. “I'll never see her again.”

“Friendships end, dear,” her mother said, trying to console her. “I was devastated at how things ended with my best friend, but life moves on. I met new people—met your father—and things worked out for the best.”

“...” Lotte’s father seemed distant to this conversation, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her mother’s words. “Life’s weird, princess,” he said, losing the edge he wore lately. “You lose people, you gain new ones. That's life.”

“But I don't want this life!” Lotte's thoughts screamed and teared up. Her mother hugged her tightly, and her father put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I can't be without her… I need her.”

Rex, Liara's uncle, walked by with the luggage. “Cheer up, kiddo,” he said. “A frown doesn't fit your beautiful face. I doubt she’d want to see you like this.”

“Does she?” wondered Lotte.

Everything was happening so fast, too fast. Seeing Liara packing up broke her heart. It beat like a drum inside her chest, like a fire threatening to consume her.

Amidst it all, Lotte spotted a hooded figure hiding under the canopy of trees, observing the scene from his bench. It was the mysterious musician Bill they'd encountered already.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she wondered, feeling his gaze boring into Lotte with a mixture of urgency and melancholy.

“Because I made the same mistake once before,” his voice echoed in her mind. “I tried everything to keep my love, but it was too late. I don't wish the same mistake on you. Go to her.”

That's when Lotte broke out of the grasp of her parents. They didn't know how to stop her newfound determination, but Lotte ran into Liara's arms.

“Lotte, what are you doing?” Liara whispered, concerned. “Not in front of your parents-”

But before Liara could finish, Lotte kissed her passionately, laying bare all her feelings on her.

However, Liara didn't reciprocate. Her hand covered Lotte’s mouth in a futile attempt to hide Lotte’s sexuality. Both were so stunned by this that they didn’t know what to make of it. Lotte looked at Liara with shock in her eyes.

And unfortunately for Lotte, her parents now understood everything.

—❊—

“Charlotte, stop it!”

“No, let me go!”

“We said stop!”

“Liara, Liara!” Lotte struggled in the hold of her parents, dragging her away. She shouted for the whole neighbourhood to hear her. “Liara! Please, don't leave! I don't want you to leave. Please-”

“Charlotte!” Her mom clapped a hand over Lotte's mouth to keep her from shouting. “That's enough! Stop this or- OWW!”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

Lotte bit into her mother's hand and yelled, “Liara, I love you!”

“CHARLOTTE!”

“What's going on?”

They looked at a woman stepping out of the car. One that looked a lot like Liara, though with a much calmer and collected expression. Her hair was longer but had the same hue as Liara’s and the same complexion as hers.

“What's the ruckus about?” she asked calmly. “Why's everyone raising their voices?”

“Mom, please don't interfere,” begged Liara. “This is getting complicated as it is-”

“Since when was your daughter dating ours?” Lotte's mom shouted. “Since when was she corrupting her!?”

“Corrupting? What?” Liara's mom shook her head, flabbergasted. “In what way did they misconduct in their relationship? I thought they cleared everything up before their breakup.”

“Wait, you KNEW they were together!?” Lotte's mom was almost losing it; she fumed for words. “You knew about them and didn’t stop them!?”

“Honey, calm down.” Lotte's father tried to defuse the situation, fearing what else this might trigger—but he chose his words poorly.

“I will not calm down!” Lotte’s mother screeched. “I can't believe I supported our daughter in this- immoral relationship. Why have I not seen this? No, no, no, this is all a mistake!”

“Mrs. Mae,” Liara’s mom put up her hands placatingly, “please, let us not escalate this conversation needlessly. Take a breather, and we can-”

“NO!” She shouted and hyperventilated with her hands on her knees. “How can you be so tolerable with this? For god's sake… they’re both women, ”

“Why should their gender be an issue?”

“W-why? Because it's not right! It’s against everything we taught Charlotte! Ethically, naturally and morally! Nothing good can come out of this! If I knew your daughter was going so low as–”

“Everyone, stop.” Another person raised their voice. The authoritative and firm tone of it quieted down the agitated atmosphere immediately. “This argument is getting out of control. I suggest we disband this and go our separate ways; how about it?”

“I- who are you?” Lotte's mom asked, unsure what to make of the new woman stepping out of the car. Not even Lotte knew, but she had a suspicion.

She had met Liara's mom but never her dad. All she knew was that he served in the military and was away a lot—like her mom, who worked as an archivist and archaeologist. Yet the moment she saw the second woman, Lotte could hardly process her.

The poised woman was athletic, over 170 cm tall, and wore cargo pants with a dark sweatshirt with the number 7 at its side. Her hair was a shade of dark red, and she wore a similar hairstyle as Liara, but her gaze was much more hardened and assertive with faint scars tracing the lines of her face.

“I’m the wife of the woman you’re yelling at and our daughter you’re accusing of shameful things,” announced Liara's second mother. “We never met, but I doubt we’ll get to know each other. We’re leaving. Now.”

Liara's mother pulled her wife and daughter swiftly away, grabbed the last heavy piece of suitcase from Rex and stuffed it inside the car.

“Hey, we're not done here!” Lotte's mom yelled.

“I believe we are.”

“No, we're not!” Lotte's mom yelled, only to be stopped by her dad before she made the mistake of fighting a military woman. “How do you explain your daughter's misconduct with ours!?”

“I won't,” she replied. “This was between them, not us parents. And since we're leaving, we’ve nothing left to discuss.” Liara's Mother closed the trunk with a loud thud, turned her head to Lotte and gave her a faint nod. “I'm sorry how this goodbye ended, but I believe it's in our best interest we cut this short. Goodbye.”

“No, no, please. Don't,” Lotte begged and ran towards the car, but her mother stopped her.

“What do you think you're doing, Charlotte?” Her mother growled. “You're in one hell of trouble for–”

“I don't care! Liara!” Lotte broke away from her mother's grip and fell into her father's arms. Lotte sprinted after the car. “Liara, please wait!”

Lotte had set her goals straight. She wanted to confess all her feelings to Liara and give her everything in hopes of making her stay.

But no matter how much she cried out for her or how far she ran after the car, she was neither fast nor loud enough. Liara looked back at her from behind the car’s back window but whipped her head right back. The car disappeared behind the corner.

Just like Lotte's love as she sat on the cold and coarse asphalt crying.

—🥀—

“Why? Why!”

Lotte covered her ears when she heard something heavy drop to the ground and break. The noise came from the living room downstairs, where her mother had been yelling and shouting for the past two hours, with her father taking most of the brunt. During that time, Lotte hid herself inside her room.

She had pulled a blanket over her head and cried her eyes out as she sat on the floor near her bed. Her hopes were still high and up that everything that had happened was just a bad dream. A horrible nightmare where she would wake up with Liara knocking on her window with smoothies to take her away.

But she didn't. Lotte stared blankly at the dark window and sniffed. “She gone… she’s gone.”

Lotte flinched when she heard another commotion downstairs.

“Why is our daughter like this!?” Her mother yelled. “Where did we go wrong? Is it my fault? Is it yours!? WHOSE WAS IT!?”

Pulling her blanket over her head, Lotte tried to muffle the noises outside her room. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she could not zone out any of her mother's words.

“She's gay. Is that the word!? She's a woman who likes other women. Isn't that wrong?” There was a shrill cry in between hysterical laughs. “How can I, as her mother, fail and birth a daughter like her? Her whole upbringing’s a mistake. She should have never been born like that!”

Lotte's curled up under her blanket. Her mind left her body to tune out any sensation of voice or emotion she currently felt. She felt herself descending to a place that was devoid of any sound or emotion. A cavern-like space with ashen deserts and a star-carpeted ceiling as high as the sky. There she was at peace with everything and where she could ignore the pain inside of her.

Yet she was dragged back out of it again by her father when he took away her blanket.

“Come downstairs, Charlotte,” he sighed, with blond strands falling over his face. “Your mother and I need to talk with you.”

He waited for Lotte at the entrance of her room, knowing she wouldn't get up if he just left. And he was right; she would have curled back right under her blanket to avoid any confrontation. But he took the blanket away. So Lotte went up.

Her hair stood up on all ends. Her clothes were all wrinkled from what had happened earlier. She rubbed her arm and trudged silently past her father, who followed her down the stairs.

Lotte's mother sat on the couch, her hand partially covering her face as she nervously pricked at her lower lip with her nails. An old, disused pipe lay on the floor, surrounded by scattered tobacco on the carpet. With her sleeves rolled up past her elbows, faded tattoos adorned her arms, their bold, geometric designs featuring intricate lines, shapes, and symbols. Triangles, spirals, and interconnected lines formed complex geometric patterns, a sight Lotte hadn't seen in a very long time. Her mother had always been careful to conceal them, hiding them under long sleeves even at home, which made summers a living hell for her.

Smoking was another long-buried habit of hers from her time before she became a mother. But right about now, Lotte's mother looked on the verge of a mental breakdown, leaving Lotte uncertain of what to do or say. Her father poured his wife a glass of water, which she snapped out of his hand and drank hastily, with droplets spilling down her chin. After wiping away the water, she carefully dabbed at her tear-moistened cheeks.

“I can’t believe I have misjudged your ‘friend's’ attention with you,” she breathed out. “You can't trust teenagers today, either. If I had known of her intentions… she wouldn't have corrupted you.”

“Mom, but that's not-”

“Don't ‘mom’ me here!” Her mother’s warning shout was louder and more emotionally charged than Lotte had ever heard of her.

Lotte perched on the edge of the sofa, trying to make herself as small as possible, but she couldn't quell her body’s shaking. Memories flooded her mind of the time when her father had an outburst over the news when she was little.

“We'll not tolerate any of this ‘gay crap’ or whatever influence you’ve been subjected to. I won’t have a daughter who goes around and does ‘THINGS!?’ with other women. Do you understand?”

“But I'm not-”

“I don't want to hear excuses, Charlotte!” Her mother slammed her hand against the coffee table, jolting both her husband and daughter. “Do you understand me? I won’t tolerate any of this ‘gayness’ ever again! You'll listen to us, and do as we say, and behave like a proper girl should!”

Lotte pressed her hands on her legs, bit her lip, and nodded obediently as she absorbed her parents’ new directives. Curfews, more extracurricular activities, and reduced freedom or spare time were all adjustments she could manage. She had endured them all with Liara’s presence, but the last mandate was the most unbearable for her to take.

“We also need to address your gay problem there, Charlotte,” her mother asserted.

“Can’t you phrase it differently?” her father remarked. “Even I cringe at that phrase.”

“Who cares?!” she retorted, adjusting her sleeves to conceal her arms. “Listen, Charlotte. We're going to help you overcome this 'gayness' of yours. It's just a phase, and you were confused because of your… ‘friend’. That’s why you’ll spend more time with my friend’s son.”

“I- what-?” Charlotte’s eyes widened at the proposition. Her nails dug into her legs in disbelief.

“I know he’s not perfect, but no man is,” her mother laughed. Lotte’s father rolled his eyes. “But you’ll soon realise that your phase was just, well, A PHASE! A rebellious mistake. I won’t pressure you two to become a couple, but it will be a valuable experience, trust me.”

“No… it won’t…” Lotte wanted to scream. Her silent sobs echoed into the dark chasm her life was becoming. With Liara gone, she felt utterly lost, realising her parents didn't accept her for who she was.

Everything fell apart.

Her life was over.