In the Shadows of Doubt

Matthew sauntered over to Sarah's desk with a grin on his face. "Hey Sarah, who's the lucky person gracing the poster with their beautiful face?" he inquired with a playful tone.

Sarah was caught off guard and couldn't believe that Matthew was actually being friendly to her. "Me?" she asked in disbelief, pointing to herself.

Matthew chuckled and playfully pinched her cheek. "Yes, you! Who else would I be talking to, cutie?" he teased, causing Sarah to flinch.

Despite his friendly demeanor, Sarah couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off. Matthew had always acted coldly towards her in the past, and his sudden change in attitude was unsettling.

"So, did you choose me for the poster, Sarah?" Matthew inquired, giving her a suggestive wink.

Sarah's stomach churned at the thought. "No, I chose Alex and Deliah," she muttered, hoping that would be the end of the conversation.

Matthew nodded knowingly as he acknowledged Sarah's discomfort. "Your sister and her boyfriend, huh?" he asked, trying to make conversation. Sarah winced slightly at the mention of her sister's boyfriend, but tried to hide it. "Just wanted to know who you voted for." He said hoping to move past the awkwardness. "I hope we can be friends," he added with a friendly smile.

Sarah coughed, struggling to breathe. Without hesitation, Matthew grabbed her water bottle and handed it to her. Sarah was surprised by his kind gesture and choked on her water even more. She quickly drank half the bottle, trying to regain her composure. When she opened her eyes, she saw Matthew grinning at her. "You sound surprised that I want to be friends," he said, amused. "I can imagine why, considering I wasn't too friendly to you before."

*Wasn't too friendly? You were downright mean!* she thought to herself, patting her chest in frustration. However, to her surprise, Matthew seemed eager to make amends. "But I know I was wrong and I want to change things," he said, beaming at her. "We can be friends, right? I mean friends for now...maybe something more in the future?" he added with a wink.

Sarah was caught off guard, unsure of what to say. Before she could respond, Alex and the rest of the Aerospace boys returned from the cafeteria. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the distraction. She had eaten alone in the classroom to avoid the crowds, but Alex had convinced her to join them in the cafeteria the next day.

Alex's face contorted with anger as he spotted Matthew sitting with Sarah once again. He strode over to their table and confronted Matthew, his tone sharp. "What are you doing? Harassing her again?" he snarled.

Matthew rolled his eyes. "No way. I'm just talking to my new friend, Alex. Chill."

Alex's eyes widened as he looked at Sarah. "Friends?" he mouthed. Sarah made a face, indicating that she wasn't thrilled about the situation.

"Hey there, buddy. It's time for you to give Sarah back to me. As her wise and experienced friend, we have important things to discuss." Alex gave Matthew a nod and a gesture to leave.

Matthew grudgingly hopped off the table, but not without giving Sarah one last playful wink. "Catch you later, Sarah!"

Sarah couldn't help but shudder at the thought. "Ugh, I hope not," she muttered under her breath.

Alex chuckled and affectionately ruffled her hair. "Looks like that guy's taken a liking to you now that you're all dolled up. Just promise me you won't get too close to him, okay?"

"You don't even have to ask," Sarah replied with a wrinkled nose. "I can't stand that guy."

Meanwhile, Brad had been keeping an eye on Sarah and Alex's interactions all day. After some deep contemplation, he realized that Sarah might actually have feelings for Alex. This was not good. He knew he had to do something about it.

********

It's 8 PM at the pub, and Brad gathered all his friends together. The anticipation in the air is palpable. "What's the occasion, bro? Why are we all here?" Philip asked curiously.

Brad, fixated on the entrance, gives a vague response, "I have some things to clarify. Let's wait for Alex to arrive before we begin." Henry looks over at Steve, confused and uncertain about what's going on.

A hush fell over the group as Brad's tone took on an uncharacteristically grave note. It was as if the usually carefree guy had a heavy weight on his shoulders.

"What's up, Brad?" Alex asked tentatively, sensing that something serious was afoot.

Brad fixed Alex with a solemn gaze. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I need to ask you some tough questions tonight. Can you promise me that you'll answer them truthfully?"

Alex chuckled nervously, clearly taken aback by Brad's sudden intensity. "Uh, sure man. What's going on?"

Steve chimed in with a concerned frown. "Yeah, Brad, you're kind of freaking us out. Is everything okay?"

Brad let out a deep sigh, running his fingers through his hair as he tried to collect his thoughts.

"Alex, do you love Deliah?" Brad's question was so direct it almost knocked Alex off his feet. His eyes widened as he blinked in surprise. "What?" Brad stared right back at him without flinching. "Do you love Deliah?" Joe couldn't help but interject, "Wow, that was a total arrow shot right there."

Feeling uneasy, Alex looked around at his Aerospace buddies. "I thought I told you guys before that I wasn't sure...about everything in this relationship with her," he answered honestly. "I know she's pretty, but I don't know what I feel for her. I couldn't even kiss her when I forced myself to." The rest of the guys nodded in understanding.

Woohyun wasn't done yet. "And what about Sarah? What do you feel about her?" Alex looked even more surprised than he did before. "Sarah? Why are we talking about her?"

David chimed in, clearly confused. "Yeah Brad, why?" Brad fixed his gaze on Alex. "Because I realize that you may have more affections for Sarah than her sister. Because I realize that we Aerospace might have made a mistake in the beginning when we kind of forced you into the relationship with Deliah."

Because as your friend, I want to see you happy, and right now, I'm noticing a certain smile on your face that only comes out when Sarah is around, not your girlfriend. That's not quite right, is it?"

"Let's get down to it, buddy. Do you love Sarah?" he repeated, looking intently at Alex.

Alex's friends were waiting patiently for his answer, and he found himself staring back at them. Did he really love Sarah? The truth was, he couldn't deny that he found her attractive, flaws and all. Yes, she could be a bit too negative at times, and she cared a little too much about her sister. And sure, she had her fair share of secrets.

But Alex found himself drawn to all those things about her. He loved the way she smiled, her stubborn nature, and the fact that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, even if it meant going against the grain. He relished their witty banter and the way they challenged each other. He enjoyed spending time with her and missed her when she wasn't around. And to be honest, he even dreamed about her.

Was it normal? Was it love? He would go to great lengths just to see her happy, and her sadness would tear him apart. Did this mean he was in love?

"I'm not certain," Alex admitted, swallowing hard. "I think I might have feelings for her, but I don't really know what they mean."

It was clear to Brad that Alex was attracted to her. "I won't tell you what to do this time," Brad said, exhaling deeply. "And any Aerospace member who tries to give you advice will get a smack from me. We're clearly not the best love advisors."

Brad looked at Alex. "Your first relationship didn't go well, and it might have been because of us. I don't want to ruin anything else, especially since this girl might be the right one for you. I'm not taking a stand anymore; you're on your own. You have to make the decision yourself, whoever you choose."

With a friendly pat on the shoulder, Brad offered some insightful advice to Alex. "Hey man, I don't mean to sound like a downer, but have you ever considered that you might love someone other than your girlfriend? It's worth thinking about, and if you do come to that realization, it's important to end things with her as soon as possible. Trust me, it's the right thing to do."

Caught off guard, Alex stared at Brad with a mix of confusion and uncertainty. Was it possible that he actually loved someone else? His mind raced as he tried to make sense of his feelings. What if he made the same mistake he did with Deliah? The thought of it made him groan inwardly. It was all too overwhelming.

Finally, Alex rushes in, out of breath. "Sorry guys, I went to the bookstore with Sarah and we lost track of time." He orders a sparkling juice.

"So, what's the agenda for today?"

Brad winces at the mention of Sarah's name, knowing more than ever that his suspicions were correct. "There are some things I want to ask you, Alex. I think we should do this as the whole of Aerospace since we kind of forced you into this thing."

A hush fell over the group as Brad's tone took on an uncharacteristically grave note. It was as if the usually carefree guy had a heavy weight on his shoulders.

"What's up, Brad?" Alex asked tentatively, sensing that something serious was afoot.

Brad fixed Alex with a solemn gaze. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but I need to ask you some tough questions tonight. Can you promise me that you'll answer them truthfully?"

Alex chuckled nervously, clearly taken aback by Brad's sudden intensity. "Uh, sure man. What's going on?"

Steve chimed in with a concerned frown. "Yeah, Brad, you're kind of freaking us out. Is everything okay?"

Brad let out a deep sigh, running his fingers through his hair as he tried to collect his thoughts.

"Alex, do you love Deliah?" Brad's question was so direct it almost knocked Alex off his feet. His eyes widened as he blinked in surprise. "What?" Brad stared right back at him without flinching. "Do you love Deliah?" Joe couldn't help but interject, "Wow, that was a total arrow shot right there."

Feeling uneasy, Alex looked around at his Aerospace buddies. "I thought I told you guys before that I wasn't sure...about everything in this relationship with her," he answered honestly. "I know she's pretty, but I don't know what I feel for her. I couldn't even kiss her when I forced myself to." The rest of the guys nodded in understanding.

Woohyun wasn't done yet. "And what about Sarah? What do you feel about her?" Alex looked even more surprised than he did before. "Sarah? Why are we talking about her?"

David chimed in, clearly confused. "Yeah Brad, why?" Brad fixed his gaze on Alex. "Because I realize that you may have more affections for Sarah than her sister. Because I realize that we Aerospace might have made a mistake in the beginning when we kind of forced you into the relationship with Deliah."

Because as your friend, I want to see you happy, and right now, I'm noticing a certain smile on your face that only comes out when Sarah is around, not your girlfriend. That's not quite right, is it?"

"Let's get down to it, buddy. Do you love Sarah?" he repeated, looking intently at Alex.

Alex's friends were waiting patiently for his answer, and he found himself staring back at them. Did he really love Sarah? The truth was, he couldn't deny that he found her attractive, flaws and all. Yes, she could be a bit too negative at times, and she cared a little too much about her sister. And sure, she had her fair share of secrets.

But Alex found himself drawn to all those things about her. He loved the way she smiled, her stubborn nature, and the fact that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind, even if it meant going against the grain. He relished their witty banter and the way they challenged each other. He enjoyed spending time with her and missed her when she wasn't around. And to be honest, he even dreamed about her.

Was it normal? Was it love? He would go to great lengths just to see her happy, and her sadness would tear him apart. Did this mean he was in love?

"I'm not certain," Alex admitted, swallowing hard. "I think I might have feelings for her, but I don't really know what they mean."

It was clear to Brad that Alex was attracted to her. "I won't tell you what to do this time," Brad said, exhaling deeply. "And any Aerospace member who tries to give you advice will get a smack from me. We're clearly not the best love advisors."

Brad looked at Alex. "Your first relationship didn't go well, and it might have been because of us. I don't want to ruin anything else, especially since this girl might be the right one for you. I'm not taking a stand anymore; you're on your own. You have to make the decision yourself, whoever you choose."

With a friendly pat on the shoulder, Brad offered some insightful advice to Alex. "Hey man, I don't mean to sound like a downer, but have you ever considered that you might love someone other than your girlfriend? It's worth thinking about, and if you do come to that realization, it's important to end things with her as soon as possible. Trust me, it's the right thing to do."

Caught off guard, Alex stared at Brad with a mix of confusion and uncertainty. Was it possible that he actually loved someone else? His mind raced as he tried to make sense of his feelings. What if he made the same mistake he did with Deliah? The thought of it made him groan inwardly. It was all too overwhelming.