"Confess to Her!"

"..." Ray was just looking at Jun with wide opened eyes and dropped jaw.

"What's with that look?" Jun said. "You like her, right? So what's the problem with telling her the same?"

"….Do you know….What are you talking about?" Ray said.

"Absolutely!" Jun exclaimed. "I don't know why you aren't getting this?"

"….."

"You like her so go and tell her! As simple as that!" Jun said.

"This is not simple Jun….It's not…..You won't get it….I cannot tell her about my feelings…"

"And why is that?"

"Because…..Because….She is my friend. A very good friend. What if I confess my feelings to her and she ends up breaking our friendship….I….I can't let that happen…" Only the thought of that made Ray's face turn white.

"Ray…Ray…Ray…" Jun said as he held Ray's shoulders. "Calm down…"

"….."

"You know our Mia is not like that. She won't break your friendship. And I don't think, there will be any need to happen all this…"

"What do you mean?" Ray asked.

"….I mean…..Think positively. What if she says 'Yes'?"

"…."

"If she says 'Yes', there is no need to think about all this….negative things..."

"How can you be so sure?"

"….No….I'm just…I'm just telling you that think about this possibility too."

Ray didn't say anything for a while, nor did Jun.

"….Do you really think so?" Ray finally spoke up. "…That I should confess?"

"Yes! Totally!"

"….But….Then….When?....When is the right time?...The white day is coming soon….In a month….Then maybe?"

"How about next week?" Jun said.

"W-hat??? Next week?" Ray's ears couldn't believe this.

"Yeah. After the final exams are over. On Saturday…Or maybe Sunday?" Jun was talking so casually that Ray couldn't understand what to say or even how to respond to all this.

"….....Isn't it too soon?" He asked finally.

"Too soon….Too late…..What's the difference? You'll have to say the same thing, whether it's today or tomorrow!"

Ray nodded understandingly as Jun's words were agreeable.

"So? It's decided then?" Jun offered his hand to shake.

"But -"

Jun took his hand closer to Ray.

Ray thought for a second, took a deep breath and then,

"…..Okay…." He gave him his hand did a solid handshake. "Decided!"

"Atta boy!" Jun smiled. "I'll help you whenever you need me. So there is no need to worry. Okay?"

Ray gave him a firm nod. "Okay!"

~

Looking at Mia and So Hee coming towards the classroom, talking, like nothing has happened, April, Hana and Ye Rin exchanged glances.

"How does she do that?" April said disbelieving what her eyes were seeing.

"God knows, but she's really good at this." Hana said.

"So Hee got healed so soon?" Ye Rin said putting her finger on her chin and rubbing it. Ye Rin's eyes darkened, her voice became mysterious, "I smell….I smell something is going to happen….Something bad…."

"Oh please Ye Rin, stop it now." April said. "You are freaking Hana out!"

Ye Rin looked at Hana and her totally white face, like her soul had left her body through her head.

"That's alright Hana…" April rubbed Hana's back. "She's just joking…She likes such stupid, weird jokes….Hehe…Calm down now…."

~

The school was over and April was standing in the back yard waiting for someone. Looking at her phone screen and the text she had sent to Jun about five minutes ago.

'I can do this….I can do this….' Thinking that she took several deep breathes to calm her down.

"Hey…" Jun came from behind and that surprised April, making her jump a little.

"Oh! Sorry…Sorry…" Jun apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you…"

"…Oh….No….That's okay…I…I thought that, you'd come out from the school building…So…"

"Oh yeah…I was just heading home…I needed to do some things before going home so I left the classroom as soon as the bell rang…"

"Ohh…."

"….And then I got your text when I was just out from the main gate, so I came back…"

"Oh! I'm….I'm so sorry…It's okay if you're busy now….We can talk later…." April said hurriedly. 'Later will be better…As I'm freaking out right now….'

"Oh No. No problem. We can talk. I have some time to spare…"

"….I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. I'm the one who should be sorry. I left you all alone in the hallways yesterday. And then I totally forgot that you wanted to talk with me…" Jun said.

"…Ohh…."

'He…He is so nice….' April thought as her cheeks started burning up. 'I have to tell him….Now or never!'

"So?" Jun spoke up. "What was there that you wanted to talk about? Is there any problem?"

"Huh? Problem? No….There is no problem….It's just that, you know…..

It was Valentine' day…Yesterday…"

Jun was listening to her words carefully.

"…So….You know…." April was still hesitating as the main words weren't coming out of her mouth.

But Jun was now getting the idea where this conversation was getting. 'Don't tell me….Is she?.....Is she going to confess to me?'

"…One of my friends said that it doesn't matter whether it's the Valentine's day or not….I should tell the person about my feelings whenever I'm feeling it to…." Now April's words were getting somewhere.

'….Let me guess that friend of yours….' Jun folded his hands as his "idiot" friend's face popped up into his mind.

"…So….Here's the thing….." April took a deep breath. "I like you! I really like you Jun!"

'Done! I said it! I finally said it!.....Oh! The chocolates!' April thought and then she hurriedly held the box of the chocolate in her hands before Jun.

"So please accept my feelings!" She said but her eyes were down. She wasn't looking in his eyes.

Scared of what he'll answer.

"…."

Jun didn't say anything for a couple of seconds but then he finally spoke, "I can't do this."

"Huh?" April looked up at him, the direct rejection made her eyes moist. 'He…He said NO right away….'

"…I'm sorry…" Jun said.

"…."

"Sorry…" Apologizing for the last time, Jun turned his back to her and as he was about to go.

"Is it because you like someone else?"

April's words, made Jun stop right away

Slowly turning back, he looked at April. Her nose was turned red but the tears weren't falling down from her eyes. She had somehow managed to keep them in.

"Please tell me if there is someone else…I won't bother you again. But at least I'd have a proper reason to convince myself…" She said.

Hearing her sincere thoughts Jun decided to give her an honest answer.

"…..No…" Jun said. "There is no one else."

"R-Really?" A ray of hope struck into April's eyes.

"No…"Jun stopped for a second and said, "It's just because.....I won't be here next year."

His voice and his eyes, both were as calm as ever.

"What?" April was shocked to hear this.

"Yeah….I am going to change the school next year…." Jun said.

"….."

"…And I'm here only for 2 weeks now. So…..It's not fair to you if I say 'Yes', right?"

"….."

"So please, it will be better for you if you just….you know….forget about all this…."

"….." April's head was gone completely blank. She had no words to say.

"And don't work up yourself for this….You are a great girl and any guy would be more than happy to date you. I'm honored actually that you came to me….But all this…just....It just doesn't have any further….path. It's a dead end."

Now the tears which were held up by her for all this time, slipped out of her eyes.

"I'm really sorry that I have to hurt your feelings…" Saying this, Jun turned back.

"And one last thing…" He said without turning his head back. "Please, don't tell any of this.....This changing the school thing....to anyone.

To Mia, specifically."

April looked up at the figure of his back with her welled up eyes.

"I want to tell her this by myself." Jun said calmly. "Can you do that?"

"Hm!" April nodded as she wiped her tears by her hands. "I won't tell her. I won't tell anyone."

~