THEO'S POV (Continuing):
That night, I barely got any sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I pictured her face.
Every time I tried to rest, another doubt crept in.
Another fear.
Another fragile little hope I kept trying to kill before it could grow.
By the time morning came, I felt exhausted.
Not just physically.
Emotionally.
Mentally.
Completely drained.
The next day at school, I couldn't even pretend to function properly.
My body was there, sitting in class, flipping pages, hearing voices in the distance…
…but my mind was somewhere else entirely.
With her.
With the confession.
I didn't did yet but had already imagined a hundred times in my head.
During lunch break, I gave up trying to stay awake.
I ended up sleeping right there in class, my head resting against my folded arms on the desk, too tired to care how pathetic I looked.
I only woke up when the bell rang.
Even then, I still felt restless.
Like the entire day was just one long countdown.
By evening, my heart was beating so hard it felt painful.
I had done it.
I had actually gone through with it.
I stood outside a flower shop, staring at the bouquet of red roses in my hand like it was a live bomb that could explode any second.
My face burned.
My palms were sweating.
I felt ridiculous.
Terrified.
Hopeful.
Humiliated.
All at once.
I had never been this nervous in my life.
Not before a fight.
Not before an exam.
Not before anything.
Because this wasn't about winning or losing.
This was about her.
About the one person who had somehow become the center of my every thought without me even realizing when it happened.
I got in the car, bouquet placed carefully on the seat beside me, and drove toward the usual spot near the bus stop.
The same place.
The place where she used to part ways with her crush.
The place where I had watched from a distance more times than I wanted to admit.
Tonight, I was going to pick her up there.
And the moment she got in the car…
I'd confess.
No more hesitation.
No more hiding.
No more pretending I was okay with just being her friend.
I parked and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Every passing minute made the knot in my stomach tighten further.
I checked the time again.
Then again.
Then again.
An hour passed.
She never showed up.
At first, I told myself she was just late.
Maybe something had come up.
Maybe the bus was delayed.
Maybe she got caught up at work.
Maybe...
I gripped the steering wheel tighter.
Something felt off.
My heartbeat turned uneasy.
I looked over at the bouquet beside me, the roses suddenly feeling stupid. Too dramatic. Too hopeful.
My jaw tightened.
No.
I needed to know where she was.
Without wasting another second, I started the car and drove straight to the café.
If she wasn't at the bus stop…
Then maybe she was still there.
And if she was…
Then tonight, no matter what happened,
I was finally going to tell her.