He stopped walking, causing me to stop too, as we reached the rooftop of the school. He turned to face me, his eyes fixed on mine, saying nothing. It felt like he was waiting for an explanation from me.
I glanced down at the floor, taking a moment to compose myself before speaking. I took a deep breath, unsure if it was just from the exhaustion of chasing after him and climbing up here or if I was really nervous.
I looked up and met his intense gaze. I couldn't figure out what he was thinking at that moment. "L-Liam, I'm really s-sorry. I can explain everything." I said, trying not to stumble over my words, but failing.
"Then go ahead." He said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. Hearing his tone made it clear that he was angry with me.
"I swear I didn't steal it like they say. I found it in the hallway, I was about to give it back but—"
He cut me off. "Nope, that's not the explanation that I want to hear." He said coldly.
Confusion washed over me as I looked at him. "W-what?" I whispered, my voice barely heard.
He remained silent for a moment, his eyes locked on mine. It was as if he was searching for something in my eyes, something that would validate my words. I could feel the weight of his disappointment and frustration, and it made my heart sink.
"Mira, why didn't you stand up for yourself? Why did you let them hurt and laugh at you?! Why did you just let it happen?"
I was even more confused by his statement. I tilted my head slightly, trying to make sense of what was happening. "Liam, what are you saying?"
His face remained unchanged, unmoved. He lifted the diary slightly, his eyes filled with frustration. "I couldn't care less about this stupid diary, Mira! You're all that matters to me."
"A-aren't you angry that I hid the diary from you?" I asked unsurely, my voice trembling.
Liam took a step closer, his eyes softening as he reached out to gently cup my face. "Mira, I know. All this time, I know that you have it." He said softly.
His words washed over me, and I felt a wave of relief. I couldn't help but cry. He tried to wipe the tears away, but they kept coming. "You know? But how? I never told anyone except for Sophie and Mady. D-did they tell you about it?" I asked, still trying to process the situation.
He gently shakes his head, still caressing my cheeks with his hands. "Remember when we were hanging out in a cafe shop? Mady was still not part of the group back then. I heard you confess to Sophie in the restroom."
I looked at him in shock. "Then why did you react like you didn't hear anything? Why didn't you tell me?"
He gave me a weak smile, his gaze never leaving mine. "I don't know. Maybe I was waiting for you to tell me yourself. But if I had known it would lead to this, I wish I hadn't pretended not to know and just told you the truth. I'm sorry it took me so long to reveal this."
I shook my head. "No, don't apologize. I should be the one saying sorry. I'm sorry for hiding it from you, sorry for invading your personal thoughts, sorry for not giving myself a chance to tell you everything. I apologize, Liam." I felt tears streaming down my face again.
"Apology accepted. We both made the mistake of keeping it from each other, but believe me when I say, I don't care about that diary anymore." He let go of my hands and went to a drum fire pit, dropping the diary into it and lighting it on fire. As it burned to ashes, he turned to me. "Maybe if I was the old Liam, I would get mad because I was living in darkness back then. But I am not him anymore, I am not the same as before. I already accepted Dad's death and I've moved on from my feelings for Hailey." He walked closer to me again and held my both hands, which were still trembling. "You're all that matters to me now, Mira. You're the one I love. Whatever I wrote in that diary, it doesn't define me anymore. It's all in the past, and I don't want to waste my time dwelling on it." He paused and looked into my teary eyes with a sense of love. "Because of you, I've changed for the better. I've never been happier, and I'm so grateful for that."
He looks at me with so much affection and love in his eyes that I can't resist hugging him. All this time, I thought he would be angry, but I was wrong. He still accepts and loves me after everything.
"I promise, from now on, I'll be honest with you, no matter how difficult it may be." I paused and took a deep sigh. "And Liam?"
Feeling his arms wrapped around me, I heard him whisper in my ear. "What is it?"
I closed my eyes and prepared myself. I guess, I am ready for this. "I love you." I finally said, letting the words escape my lips.
He quickly pulled away from the hug and faced me. "W-what did you say?" This time, he was the one who stumbled over his words. "Did I hear that right, Mira?" The surprise was evident in his eyes.
I take a deep breath, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement. I met his gaze and gave him a weak smile. "Yes, Liam. You heard me right. I love you."
His eyes widened, his surprise slowly transforming into the most beautiful smile I've ever seen painted across his face. He then gently cupped my cheeks. "You and I..." He paused and looked at me as if he couldn't believe what I just said. "I can't believe it. Does this mean you're my girlfriend?!"
Locked into his eyes, I nod and let out a chuckle. "Yes, Liam—"
Before I could finish what I was saying, he quickly leaned in and kissed me. I was taken aback, unmoved by his gesture, but in an instant, I let myself give in and melt into his kiss.
His kiss is tender yet passionate, filled with a longing that matches my own. Every touch of his lips against mine sends waves of pleasure through my body, making me forget about everything else. At that moment, it feels like nothing else matters anymore.
Moments later, we break into the kiss and face each other. I feel my heart skip a beat as his thumb brushes against my cheek, sending me shivers. In that moment, time seems to stand still, as if the world around us has faded away, leaving only the two of us in this magical realm of emotions.
"I love you too, Mira. I love everything about you, good, or even bad. I love you." he said, his smile still lingering on his lips.
He gently put his hand to my cheek, gently touching it and looking at me deep in my eyes. "And as long as you have me, I'm going to treasure every second."
I couldn't find the words to answer him, so I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. Neither of us said a thing, just feeling the presence of each other again. No words were needed. Our feelings for each other did all the talking, reconnecting us in a way that words could never express. I missed him so much, and I never thought that upon his return, we would end up together.
"By the way, I have something to show you."
I looked at him, my eyes filled with curiosity. "What is it?" I asked, my voice tinged with excitement.
"I don't know if you noticed, but there's a missing page in the diary. There's something you haven't read yet, Mira." He pulled out a folded piece of paper that was tucked inside his book. It looked just like the paper from his diary.
As I glanced back, memories of the last time I read his diary flooded my mind. I remembered seeing some torn pages, but I didn't think much of it. "Actually, I did notice. I thought it was nothing, so I didn't pay much attention to it. And Liam, it's okay. You don't have to show me whatever that is." I pointed to the folded papers he was holding. "One thing I regret is reading your diary, not because of its contents, but because I invaded your privacy and I'm sorry for that. Whatever you wrote in there, it's your personal thoughts, Liam. I don't want to pry anymore."
He chuckled. "But you have to. It was written specifically for you."
A wave of confusion and shock washed over my face. "Ha? What do you mean?"
He handed me those papers. "Read it before I explain everything."
I looked at him still confused then turned to these torn pages. I hesitated for a moment and opened it to read.
Page 1:
'There's this annoying girl in my class, Mira. She's been on my mind lately, and it's weird. I'll admit, she's cute, but the thing is, she's not very stylish, so she doesn't get noticed much. She's also often bullied. I want to help her sometimes, but I just can't. Especially since I myself am also a bully.
There's something about her that I can't understand. I always find myself taking glances at her, mostly in class. Just watching her from a distance. The way she smiles gives me a strange effect. It's like, whenever Mira's around, she somehow manages to grab my attention without even trying. It's not like I have a crush on her, right? I'm definitely not into her in any way. Nope, not me.
The most confusing part is, most of the time, I feel irritated by her even when she's not doing anything wrong to me. It's like every time I see her, I need to avoid her. It's an irrational annoyance that surfaces out of nowhere. I can't explain it, and it frustrates me to no end.
I've been trying to make sense of these mixed feelings. I can't even talk to Ken and Ace about it, I know what they'll say. They'll just tease me like they always do. Especially since people think Mira has a crush on me, but I doubt it. If she has a crush on me, shouldn't she be trying to get my attention like other girls do? But she's not. I'll admit, there are moments when I catch her stealing glances in my direction, but maybe that's just normal. It doesn't necessarily mean anything.'
After I finished reading the first page, I quickly looked at Liam. A mix of surprise and curiosity washed over me. "I know you told me that you liked me from the start, but reading this now, I never knew you had such deep thoughts about me."
He gave me a warm smile. "You should read the next page."
I immediately turned to the second page and read it.
Page 2:
'I can no longer deny the truth. I think I like her. It's stupid, but I think I do. Or maybe, not. Maybe I just wanted to be close to her. Something like a friend?
Every time she's around, I can't help but stare at her. I catch myself stealing glances, trying to glance at her smile when she's talking to her friends. It captivates me in ways I never thought possible.
There's something in me that I want to dive into Mira's world. I want to know her on a whole other level. I want to know her passions, her dreams, and all the things that make her happy. There's a part of me that craves a friendship that goes beyond us being just classmates.
But on the other hand, it feels like I want something more than what I am anticipating. I've been trying to make sense of these feelings, trying to figure out if what I feel is just nothing or just straight-up admiration. I mean, I've never felt this way before, so it's all new for me.
I'm confused. I still have feelings for someone else, so why do I feel this way for her?'
I put aside the torn pages and lifted my head to face Liam. A curve was painted on my lips. "I was speechless. I don't know what to say, Liam. All this time, you were being grumpy with me because you were trying to hide your feelings?"
I couldn't believe that Liam liked me so much. It's like he liked me more than I liked him. The only difference is, I was more desperate than him.
"Yeah, and I'm sorry for all those times. Back then, I was confused, I didn't know what to feel. I tried to keep it under control, but my own emotions ended up controlling me."
"But why did you rip the pages?" I asked, my voice filled with curiosity.
He gazed at me for a moment then turned back to the distance. "Because I was in denial. I thought it was stupid of me to have this feeling for you. I thought, tearing them apart would help me discard what I truly feel. But I was wrong. I thought I just wanted to be your friend, but when we started being close, with each passing day, my feelings for you grew stronger, Mira. It was too late to realize that I liked you more than just as a friend." He returned his eyes to me, his gaze intense and deep.
I chuckled in disbelief. "I never realized that you felt this way. I've always liked you, but I never thought you could feel the same about me."
He held my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Those torn pages, they're the only part of my past that I want to dwell on because they're all about you."
I looked into his eyes, feeling my heart skip a beat. He returned it with a warm smile. "Now, I can think straight. All I can think about is what the diary has taught me, especially those torn pages, about you, about what I truly feel, and about us."
"And now that we're officially a couple, I want the whole world to know. I want everyone to see us together, side by side. To show them that they can't hurt you anymore because you have me."
Oh right. With everything happening, I forgot about my current situation. Everyone here in school hates me. What more when they finally find out that Liam and I are now official?
He extended his hand in front of me. "Let's go?"
I met his gaze with a concerned look. "Liam, I'm scared. I don't think I'm ready to face them."
He took a deep sigh and gave me a reassuring look. "I already told you, you have me. Mira, I'm here to protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you or even Briana. As long as I am here, you're safe."
I tried to smile at him. "You're right. I can breathe easier knowing you're here."
"Also, I want to show off to them that you're my girlfriend." At his words, I finally laughed.
He reached out his hands to me once again, and I gladly accepted them. Hand in hand, we went down to the hallway to face everyone.
As we stepped forward, our fingers intertwined, I felt a surge of courage knowing Liam was right here beside me. I know this time, I won't face my problem alone. Whatever challenges lay ahead of me, I know he will face them together with me because we're a team.
With him beside me, I feel invincible. No obstacle is too big, and no storm is too fierce.