Chapter 3: The Decision

It was a crisp autumn afternoon when Ethan finally made the decision to confess his feelings to Olivia. He had been mulling over the idea for weeks, encouraged by the subtle signs he thought he'd noticed – the way Olivia's hand would linger on his arm when she laughed at his jokes, the soft looks she gave him when she thought he wasn't looking.

Ethan was sitting on a park bench, watching the golden leaves fall from the trees, when he realized he couldn't bear the uncertainty any longer. He wanted – no, needed – to know if there was a chance that Olivia felt the same way about him.

With trembling hands, he pulled out his phone and typed out a message to Olivia: "Hey, can we meet up tomorrow after school? There's something important I want to talk to you about."

The seconds after he hit send felt like an eternity. Ethan's heart pounded in his chest as he waited for Olivia's response. When his phone finally buzzed, he almost dropped it in his haste to read her reply.

"Sure, Ethan! Is everything okay? You sound serious."

Ethan took a deep breath before responding: "Everything's fine. I just need to tell you something. Meet me at the old oak tree behind the school?"

"Okay, see you then!" Olivia replied, adding a smiley face emoji that made Ethan's stomachdo a somersault.

As he walked home that evening, Ethan's mind raced with possibilities. He imagined every scenario, from Olivia reciprocating his feelings to her laughing in his face. But beneath the anxiety, there was a sense of relief. No matter what happened tomorrow, at least he would finally know the truth.