Keep It a Secret

Keep It a Secret by xoxluurve

She kept avoiding him. He always found his way back to her. But it only went so far…
Banner Credit: Ali

Ali Thinks: "Keep It a Secret" will make you sigh—But in that frustrated, I-love-this-but-oh-dear-god-why? kind of way.

Don't let that deter you. Take it from someone who prefers happy over somber 99.99% of the time. In my time on Fictionpress, I must have read this one-shot at least a dozen times, despite my rocky relationship with the I-love-this-but-oh-dear-god-why? kind of stories. It's painful, but it's just so darn good.

One of the best parts of this story is probably all of the things that are left unsaid. The main character never outright explains how she feels about this guy or why she's avoiding him, but she doesn't really have to because the things she does and the way the two interact is indicative enough for the reader to understand and empathize with her, even though they don't exactly know the method to her madness.

Xoxluurve has this way— this impeccable way— of bringing her characters to life. Even though neither of the main characters' names are known, they still seem like people I could come across in my everyday life. The girl protagonist, who also narrates this story, is clearly in distress during her best friend's Christmas party, and the source of her discomfort is obvious— the male antagonist. He doesn't exactly know why he is antagonizing to her, but he is completely fed up with her, and doesn't try to hide it. He, like the reader, is desperate to find her reason for her constant running away from him. But she keeps it hidden until the very last heart-wrenching second.

Bottom line? No, this is not a fluffy little one-shot for a lonely night pick-me-up. But I have no doubt in my mind that no matter what mood you're in (or what mood you want to be in), you'll be hanging on every single word until you're left completely breathless in the end.