The Meaning Of Being Lonely (2025)

Flash fiction inspired by the song Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely, from the Backstreet Boys

The sirens outside sounded louder than ever, and at the same time, they were just an echo in my head—the last thing I heard before the heart monitor beeped.

Someone had an accident that night. Maybe someone else, besides me, was leaving too. I couldn’t help the thought.

When my heart stopped beating, it was as if I could see everything more clearly. I was alone in the hospital. My family wasn’t there, nor were my friends. No one knew what had happened to me. But did it really matter?

Should I have said something? Should I have called and told them I wasn’t okay? That my heart was weak?

No... it wouldn’t have changed anything. I knew what it meant to be alone. It's not a physical feeling, not solitude, not empty spaces. It’s the emptiness that filled me even when I was surrounded by people. That void they never noticed, because even though they were close enough, they looked at me but never truly saw me.

A life of appearances, of pretending, of silenced words and repressed feelings... had come to an end. And I was at peace.

The light filled me... and I was no longer afraid.

At the same time, I knew that somewhere, someone else felt the same.