Rebound Season

[Tone: Dark pop / rap, NF-style

Theme: Wasted time, heartbreak, shame, self-blame, growth through pain]

Yeah…

This one hurts different.

Three years gone, swear I blinked and it vanished

Called it love but I knew I was damaged

I was lonely, you were there, that was it

Built a future on a temporary fix

I ignored every red flag waving

Told myself “this is patience”

Nah, this was fear of being alone

So I stayed even when I felt it erode

I gave my heart to someone who couldn’t hold it

Now I’m paying interest on moments I wasted

Rebound season, I was bleeding

Tried to heal by pretending

I was fine, I was lying

I was numb but still breathing

Three years deep in a lesson

I didn’t know I was learning

Now I see it for what it was

A fire that only kept burning

I lost myself trying to save us

Lost my drive, lost my faith, yeah

Every fight left another crack

Still I kept running right back

I thought pain meant it was real

Thought suffering proved how I feel

But love ain’t supposed to feel like chains

Or like waking up wishing you changed

Rebound season, false reasons

I confused hurt for commitment

I was scared of starting over

So I settled in the distance

I was there but not alive

Just surviving, not existing

Looking back, I don’t hate her

I just hate what I accepted

I don’t blame you for leaving

I blame me for ignoring the truth

I knew deep down it wasn’t right

Still I stayed ‘cause I didn’t know what else to do

Now I’m with someone who sees me

Not just the parts that are easy

She don’t love me ‘cause I’m broken

She loves me ‘cause I’m me

And that scares me more than pain

‘Cause I got something to lose

I ain’t repeating the cycle

I ain’t walking that loop

Rebound season almost killed me

Almost made me forget my worth

But I walked out with scars, yeah

And a clearer view of love and hurt

If I never fell that far down

I wouldn’t know what I deserve

So I thank the pain I survived

Even though it still burns

Some chapters aren’t failures…

They’re warnings.