Her words completely caught me off guard.
I froze, instinctively turning to Edward, only to see him looking even more flustered than I was. “It’s not like that…”
“Edward, why are you getting all shy?” Rachel’s daughter, Emma Rich, didn’t miss a beat, launching into an excited monologue.
“Yuna, let me tell you, Edward has liked you since freshman year of high school! He’s liked you for so long, but you were totally
clueless! All his hints went over your head, and it drove me nuts. Over the years, he never forgot about you. My mom even tried to
set him up with other girls, but he turned them all down because he’s been waiting for you.”
“Stop, stop, stop!”
Her words had me completely lost.
I opened my mouth, pointing at myself in disbelief. “Are you saying… Edward liked me?”
“But…” I stammered. “Didn’t he always say we were just good friends?”
“Oh, come on, Yuna!” Emma’s expression was filled with exasperation. “Do you know any guy who would bend over backwards for a ‘good friend‘? And seriously, what guy would spend so much effort researching boyband members?”
I froze.
That was true.
There had been a time in high school when I was obsessed with a boyband. I desperately wanted a limited–edition poster of my favorite member but couldn’t get it no matter how hard I tried. Edward took the time to ask for permission to leave class early
and squeezed into a crowd of girls to get it for me.
Not only that, despite the group having many members, he made an effort to learn about each one.
He would even watch the cheesy romance dramas I loved.
At the time, I thought it was because we shared similar interests. It never crossed my mind that he’d been doing it all for me.
While Emma kept rambling on, Edward had turned completely red, looking like a tomato.
“Yuna, let me tell you,” Emma continued passionately. “Back then, my friends and I were rooting for you two so hard! You were like something straight out of a romance novel–so dreamy! But when I heard you started dating someone else, I was crushed. I thought my favorite love story had ended in heartbreak!”
I remembered those days.
Back then, everyone was using MSN messenger. Edward and I used to message each other on it all the time.
It happened the day we’d just finished an exam. After roughly estimating my score, I couldn’t wait to chat with him.
1/3
+15 BONUS
As we talked, I got caught up in the moment and blurted out a confession.
And then…. I never got a reply.
At first, I thought maybe something had come up, so I waited. I waited quietly, from seven in the evening until midnight.
But still, nothing.
I went from anxiously tossing and turning on my bed to feeling so miserable I wanted to cry.
The next day, there was still no reply.
I thought, maybe he just didn’t like me. Maybe he didn’t even care enough to respond.
So, pretending it didn’t matter, I sent him another message. I said it was just a game of Truth or Dare, a silly joke, and that he
shouldn’t take it seriously.
But once again, there was no reply.
On the third day, my pride as a teenage girl couldn’t take it anymore. In a moment of frustration, I sent him another message,
telling him I could never like someone like him. I even snapped at him, accusing him of being full of himself. Then, I blocked him.
