Cillian wouldn’t call himself stuck on his ex. That was pathetic. That was for losers who re-read old texts at 2 AM and built playlists titled “Moving On” while doing the exact opposite.
He was fine.
Sure, he thought about Aoife sometimes. And yeah, maybe every woman he dated after her felt... off.
But that was normal, right? Breakups took time. Healing wasn’t linear. Blah, blah, fucking blah.
At least, that’s what he told himself—until one night at the pub when someone made an offhand joke.
“Cillian, man, when are you gonna stop comparing every woman to Aoife?”
He snorted. Shook his head and took a sip of his drink. “I don’t”.
His best friend raised an eyebrow. “So if she called you right now and said she wanted you back… you wouldn’t go?”
His stomach twisted.
He opened his mouth, ready to say no. Ready to laugh. Ready to brush it off. But no words came out.
He didn’t have an answer.
And that unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.
He went home that night annoyed—not at his friend, but at himself.
That was bullshit. He was over her. He was dating again. He didn’t even think about her that much.
Right?
Then he scrolled through his playlist.
That’s when he saw it.
A song he hadn’t played in years—because it was hers.
Without thinking, he hit play.
And fuuuuuuuuuck…
The moment the first note hit, so did the memories. The inside jokes. The late-night drives. The way she used to sing off-key but completely unbothered.
That’s the thing about holding on to someone who’s already gone—you don’t always realize you’re doing it.
You tell yourself you’ve moved on because you’re not actively crying over them.
Because you’re sleeping with other people.
Because months—or even years—have passed.
But deep down, you’re still living in their shadow.
Cillian wasn’t in love with Aoife anymore. He was in love with an idea of love that no longer existed.
Measuring every new relationship against her. Convincing himself that if it didn’t feel the same, it wasn’t real.
But that’s nostalgia talking.
That’s his brain clinging to familiarity because it’s terrified of the unknown.
And the problem was that it made him blind to the truth. Aoife wasn’t actually right for him.
Because if she was they’d still be together.
Cillian had spent years unknowingly blocking his own happiness because he was too busy chasing a ghost.
And if that hit a nerve, you probably are too.
Here’s why you’re still stuck on your ex—it’s not because they were your soulmate.
It’s because you’re romanticizing the past while ignoring the truth.
That’s what finally snapped Cillian out of it.
He stopped comparing, craving, and clinging to someone who was never going to be his future.
And that’s when he finally moved the fuck on.
Now be honest, are you really over your ex, or just avoiding the truth?
If this hit home, hit reply and tell me what part called you out the most.
It’s time to let go for good.