Lucas: she does

"Who's your crush?" My hands freeze, stiffly holding the straw I wanted to open my soda with. I glance at her, and twinkles from the entrance softly click as people come in contact with them.

"Say?" she says, as I open the mouth of the soda.

"Charlotte? Arora? Maeve? Aundrey?"

"Just how many names do you know?" A rushed speech escapes my mouth before I can comprehend it.

She shrugs, "A lot." Leaning forwards, she teases, "It's Aundrey right?"

Raising my brows, I inquired "How do you know?"

Flipping her hair, she smiles, confidently affirming, "I just do." Giving a little gleeful smile, I ask, "You sure? Cause her name ends with an a."

Hearing me, her cheeks lifted, as her lips part away for an undisciplined smile. Seeing her smile, I wonder what she was so happy about. Or if she understands? Does she know who I am talking about?

"Is she someone we know?"

I stare at her, "I don't know?"

"Dude, come on."

"Why are you so busy with my crush, shouldn't you first tell me why you've made me run here out of nowhere?" Hearing me, she goes quiet.

As I was about to talk again, Jules came with our drinks.

"Thank you, Jules." I smile. "No problem young man."

After we are alone again, I glance at her. "Something's up?"

"No, like–" biting her lips, she looks at me. "I don't know, Luc."

"What happened?" I straightened up. She bites her lips only when there's something that bothers her a lot, or at times when she gets too scared.

"I—" but before she could get more out of her, someone barged in "You guys are hanging out here, without me?" Turning around, I see Maria, standing in her usual casual habit of green and white.

"Maria,"

"What about the family function?"

"I didn't go. Dad's not well." She replies, coming to sit with us. She grabs a chair from the side table and sits with us. "What's going on?"

"Nothing I just–" Lisa pauses, closing her eyes.

I look at Maria and see her do the same. We give each other looks, confirming that neither of us knows anything.

"What's up Lisa," Maria says, placing her hand on top of Lisa's.

"I–I–" Lisa stammers, and then with trembling lips, she makes out three words. In three words, to form a sentence, I'd give anything not to witness.

"I like someone."

Because I know, "What? Who?" it can never be me.

"Alas." My whole being froze as if my lungs forgot to breathe for a second. Turning my head away from them, I try to focus on things around me. Crestfallen, I know better than ever to dream about being anything more anymore.

'I don't like movies that don't have a proper ending,'

'Why?'

'It allows you to come up with your interpretation of the ending. And I don't like that.'

But I don't like what's happening now. I don't like knowing the ending. And I hate myself for feeling like this.

"You should say it to him." Maria's excited voice brings me back to their conversation. Without looking at them, I take my soda cup and taking the straw out, gulp it all in.

"But I think he already likes someone." Clenching my jaws, I gulp with difficulty, having the urge to chew all the soda into nothing, if I could.

Hearing her, Maria goes quiet. "I know perhaps—" pausing for a while, Maria continues, "—current circumstances are giving an impression of something existing between Olivia and Alas.

But. . . we shouldn't predict something just based on our understanding before he says anything."

"I don't know, Maria—I am not sure about anything, I just— seeing him with someone else is just not something my heart can bear," Lisa sighed. As I turn to look at her, my eyes meet her miserable and laboriously cluttered ones. "Luc,"

"I think you should tell him," Mustering all the strength in me, I smile at her. Hiding the baggage of overwhelming emotion that was blurring me.

"Yeah," Maria joins.

"But what if he—" Cutting her off, I assert "How will you know, if you never try?" Glancing away, I try and hide the lump, building in my throat.

"Didn't someone tell me to always be confident and just confess their feelings? And then if the other person unfortunately rejects, they can always come to their best friends for ice cream?" It is getting so hard for me to bear myself, and I know I might not be able to hold on any long.

I need to leave. "Guys, I—I need to leave." Glancing at my phone, I avoid eye contact with any of the two.

"But. . "

"All of a sudden?" Lisa asks, concerned.

"Yes, umm," I glance at her, and back at my empty phone screen, displaying just the time, weather and two emergency numbers at the sidebar. "It's from my coach, he says it's urgent."

"I'll see you both tomorrow."

"Be safe,"

"See ya,"