If I Had Been Braver

I saw you on campus, first week by the stairs,

You had that smile that made me forget how to breathe air.

We talked like old friends who’d just been on pause,

And I thought, “Great… he’s cute… this is clearly the universe’s flaw.”

We stayed up late sharing hopes, fears, and junk food,

You told me your dreams, I told you mine—well… the censored version atleast.

There was so much I wanted to say, but I didn’t dare—

Kept that secret locked up for years in there.

If I’d been braver,

Would you have been mine?

Would we have gone from “best friends”

To holding hands sometimes?

If I’d said, “I like you,”

Would you have said it back?

Or would you have run for the hills

Like a straight boy under attack?

We were almost something—

But fear got in the way.

If I’d been braver…

Would you have stayed?

We took road trips, solved life like two underqualified graduates,

You said, “Bro, I trust you,” and my heart yelled, “THEN LET ME KISS YOU.”

Every playlist you made was a rom-com soundtrack,

But I stayed quiet like a gay ninja, hiding in black.

Then one day you showed up with a girlfriend named Brooke,

It felt like my soul just fell out of me that day.

And I thought, “Man… if I’d told him sooner, or just hinted at the truth,

Maybe that hand he’s holding right now… would’ve been mine.”

If I’d been braver,

Would you have been mine?

Would we have kissed in parking lots

Instead of killing time?

If I’d said, “I like you,”

Would you have said it too?

Or would you have laughed and said,

“Bro… no offense… just not into dudes.”

We were almost something—

But I never let it show.

If I’d been braver…

Would you have known?

Now we pass like strangers, which honestly feels bizarre—

We used to talk for hours, now we don’t even know where we've been.

But sometimes I imagine an alternate timeline,

Where I said, “I’m into guys and I want to be yours.

Maybe you’d have smiled, maybe you’d have stayed—

Maybe we’d have danced around campus like two idiots unafraid.

Or maybe you’d have said “Sorry, bro,” and walked away—

But at least… at least I’d know what might’ve been that day.

If I’d been braver,

Would you have been mine?

Would we have called it “love,”

Or laughed and drawn the line?

If I’d said, “I like you,”

Would you have stayed that night?

Or would you have said, “Man, I care—

But girls still feel right.”

We were almost something—

A story half untold.

If I’d been braver…

Maybe we’d be gold.