The One Who Still Holds the Key

I was just a boy

with a heart too loud for the world—

not reckless,

just full.

Of hope,

of wonder,

of her.

She didn’t ask for my love.

She didn’t have to.

She walked in silence,

eyes like secrets,

and I followed—

not to chase,

but because my soul already knew her name.

She was a whisper I couldn’t un-hear.

The High Priestess.

Soft, still,

and distant in ways that made me ache.

Years passed.

I loved others,

or at least I tried.

But they never sounded like her silence.

Never smelled like her memory.

Never felt like her absence.

She was The Empress—

not just beautiful.

Familiar.

Untouched by time,

even when the world moved on.

Then,

after nineteen years of holding back,

her voice returned—

not in a dream,

but in a message.

And suddenly,

I wasn’t just remembering her.

I was feeling again.

The Page of Wands woke up inside me.

And with him came fire,

and nerves,

and every what-if I thought I buried.

But love—

real love—

has weight.

And I carried it.

With one hand, my heart.

With the other, my fear.

The Two of Pentacles danced between them.

Because even though I had become the Emperor—

strong,

measured,

undeniable—

And the Magician—

capable,

confident,

aware—

There was still the Moon,

casting doubt on every step.

Why now?

Why her?

Why still… her?

Then came the Cup.

Overflowing.

Rising from somewhere I forgot existed.

Not for her attention.

Not for her validation.

But for the part of me

she unknowingly kept alive.

The Ace of Cups.

Not a new love.

An old one, reborn.

And now,

I stand at the edge of The World.

Full circle.

Heart in hand.

Not begging—just offering.

If she takes it,

I will build with her, slow and real.

No fantasy.

Just love that endured.

If she doesn’t,

I will walk forward.

Not empty.

Not bitter.

But proud that I once loved someone

so much, for so long…

and never lost myself doing it.

Because after all this time,

after all the silence,

after all the tries to let go—

She still holds the key.