Several hours of conversation with Aika and our final period teacher had arrived to begin the lesson.
I went back to my seat, staring blankly ahead, overwhelmed with doubt about my actions. Had I truly hurt Lilith with what I said yesterday? Yes, I decided, I must apologize to him after this.
We had been friends for three years; I couldn't bear to see that bond shattered over a single mistake.
The hours passed swiftly, as if in the blink of an eye, and suddenly my heart began to race, as if I were suddenly filled with apprehension.
Aika approached me with a sweet smile. "Let's go, Emma," she said.
"I'll catch up with you later, Aika. I just need to get something from the locker room," I told Aika, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'll join you in a moment."
"Alright, don't take too long," Aika replied.
As I made my way to the locker room, I retrieved my bag from where I had been sitting earlier.
Upon exiting the door, a throng of women suddenly rushed past, as if they were chasing after a celebrity.
Once the crowd of women had thinned out, I stepped out of our door and headed towards the locker room.
As I walked, I couldn't help but notice numerous groups of women gossiping animatedly, as if they were discussing a handsome man.
I chose to ignore them as I arrived at the locker room. Opening my locker, I overheard two girls giggling excitedly, seemingly smitten.
They emerged from their locker as well. "Wow, I didn't expect him to look even more handsome after getting his haircut," one of the girls remarked.
"I think I'm starting to like the student council vice president," her companion replied.
My eyes widened as I realized they were talking about Lilith.
Closing my locker, I left the room. As I walked downstairs, I noticed clusters of girls, some taking pictures of someone.
I approached to see, but couldn't spot anyone. So, I squeezed through the crowd, my figure drawing attention, until I was right in front of the person, still keeping my head down.
As I lifted my head, everything around me seemed to slow down as I beheld the man before me.
His hair wasn't quite feminine, but his sideburns still reached his ears, and his bangs brushed against his eyebrows. His hair was a dark brown color.
He wore our school uniform, and it suited him perfectly. Adorning his left ear was an earring in the shape of a diamond, crafted from garnet and colored crimson—his family's emblem.
His physique was just right for a 19-year-old. Yes, it was none other than Lilith Smith.
I was stunned, and the once bustling world around us now seemed hushed, as if time had paused for the two of us.
He smiled at me and reached out his hand. "Come on, Emma," he said with a sweet smile.
My cheeks flushed, and my heart raced even faster as I slowly placed my hand in his palm.
And as our hands touched, my heartbeat quickened even more.
As we began walking, all the girls moved aside, observing as Lilith and I held hands, looking every bit like a couple.
It was only then that I noticed he was taller than me, and the crimson hue of his eyes truly reflected the Smith lineage.
He kept his gaze straight ahead, smiling, until there were fewer girls trailing us, and he led me behind a building.
Glancing around and then at him, I realized he had something to say, his eyes fixed on me as if he had something important to convey.
"Um, I-I have something to say," we both said simultaneously, and suddenly we found ourselves in an awkward silence. It was excruciatingly uncomfortable.
"What is it? You go first," Lilith urged me.
"N-no, you go ahead," I replied.
"Okay." He hesitated, his cheeks flushing, and he looked at me directly. "Emma, I... I like you. I don't know why, but whenever I'm with you, I feel happy. Emma, I want you to come with me to the festival next week."
My eyes widened, my face flushed crimson, and my heart raced uncontrollably. I couldn't hear anything anymore, and I couldn't move. I felt paralyzed.
What am I feeling? Should I tell him too? But I want to tell him that I like him too. But why does it feel so difficult?
Ten seconds passed, and he waited for my response. Then he smiled sadly. "Silence means no... right?" He took my hands. "Emma, I don't want our friendship to be ruined because of this. We'll still be friends after this... thank you."
He turned away, ready to leave. I wanted to stop him, to tell him how I felt, but I couldn't. Was it because of shame? I wanted to speak, but my lips wouldn't move.
I clenched my fists at my waist, struggling to tell him that I liked him too, until tears finally streamed down my cheeks.
Stop, Lilith. I have something else to say, but it wouldn't come out. I saw his eyes slowly filling with tears as he turned away, pressing them against the wall, forcing back his tears.
As he left, only then did my mouth open, my tears refusing to stop. I staggered back, cradling my face until I leaned against the wall.
Sitting down, I cried, unable to tell him the truth of how I felt. What if he starts looking for someone else now?
I needed to chase after him, but I couldn't. My body wouldn't cooperate with what my heart and mind wanted.
Minutes passed, and Aika, Emily, and Conrad arrived.
"Stop crying over spilled milk, it's done," Conrad said.
"We bumped into Lilith earlier, we already know, so why are you crying?" Aika asked.
"Did rejecting him go against your will? Why didn't you just tell him how you truly felt? He changed himself for you," Emily interjected.
"Truth be told, I like him too," I admitted.
"Why didn't you say so? You hurt someone's feelings. You could have just told him the truth," Emily scolded.
"My body wouldn't move, I couldn't tell him," I confessed.
"Now who will you go to the festival with? He even invited you," Aika asked.
"Let's go, I want to go home," was all I could manage to say.
I slowly got up, wiping away my tears. They remained silent as we made our way to my house.
I dropped my bag on the floor and collapsed onto my bed, still crying. I hadn't been able to express my feelings to him; we might never speak again.
Lilith, I like you, I repeated to myself until I fell asleep.
Suddenly, an image of my mother appeared, conversing with someone in an unfamiliar place. As we were leaving, I saw a boy behind the door, about my age, 12 years old.
He looked at me. "Child, this is where you will live when the time comes," my mother smiled. Outside the house, I noticed the diamond sign in front of the house we visited.
That was the mark of the Smiths, and I felt like this wasn't just a dream; it was a memory.
Because I had no recollection of my past from when I was in that world.
Yes, that's right. This is the memory from this world, because my name is Emma Velouria. From a wealthy family.
I also remembered that the reason I went to the Smiths was because they had arranged for me to marry their son, so I ran away and went through an unknown portal, and suddenly all my memories disappeared.
Could it be possible that the person they were going to marry me to back then was Lilith? And then I woke up suddenly. If that's the case, was he the boy from back then? Why did I run away if he was the one I was supposed to marry?
And I decided that I would tell Lilith about my feelings tomorrow, no holding back.