Have you ever been so absorbed in a story that you even forgot that the ground you’re stepping on is the real world? Have you ever been so consumed by the characters’ lives that you started thinking that they’re your friends (or in extreme cases, they’re you?)

Have you ever felt like you wanted to punch that mean girl who wanted to steal the fictional love-of-your-life? Have you ever felt like you just wanted to hug and comfort your fictional bestfriend because she’s been through tough times? Have you ever felt yourself blush when he tells her ‘I love you’ as if he was talking to you?

I have felt all this things. And all these characters, worlds and stories haunt me during my sleep. It even haunts me when I’m awake.

And every single time the story ends, it’s as if you’re betrayed. Betrayed by your friends. It’s  as if they won’t tell you their secrets anymore. And all you can do is move on and read yet another book that’s lying on your desk.

After a while, you’ll encounter yet another betrayal and you go through it over and over again. Because that’s just how it works. Because when the day comes wherein you look back and try to remember the characters… the worlds… the stories… you won’t even recall the betrayal. You recall the best moments. You recall the reason why you read all these stories to begin with.