Alex stood frozen, staring at Mira in stunned silence. His mind struggled to process what she had just said.
Mira meanwhile, felt her face flush madly, redder than a tomato, as she completely averted her gaze, her embarrassment obvious.
'Why did I say that out loud!? How could I be so stupid!?' She screamed and berated herself internally.
The urge to run away and never face Alex again was almost overwhelming. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing his reaction to her impulsive confession.
On Alex's side, his mind was still reeling.
'Falling in love with me?'
The weight of her words was difficult to grasp for him. He had never experienced love before.
Love had always been a distant, almost alien concept to him.
His friends in the mines often spoke of their romantic escapades and the intense feelings they had for their partners, feelings that Alex could never quite relate to.