LUKE’S POV
“Okay, I’m ready now.”
She pursed her lips, taking a deep breath and looking at me straight in the eye.
“He’s… the one I love. Sorry..”
Silence followed, and I let that sink in my mind for a while. Nodding to her in reply, I glanced at her watch and looked outside the glass window.
“Why are you not surprised?” She asked, her eyebrows creasing in confusion and looking at me with pity in her eyes.
I just smiled at her, “Well I know that already. I had prepared myself for it way back.” I said, before continuing, “The moment you didn’t ask for forgiveness that night at the New Year’s Party, to plead for me to stay, I knew it. And I was waiting for you to say it to me officially.”
As I’ve said, it doesn’t hurt me that much anymore, because the whole week that I avoided her, I already knew it in myself that she was going to say that.
My gut feeling was never wrong.
The pain I feel right now is only half of what I felt last week. However, I couldn’t say that I’m completely fine, and I couldn’t also say that I’m not that okay because I’m happy that she at least gave me a chance to prove myself.
And I’m not blaming Snow. It’s not her fault. It’s mine.
I’m blaming myself for believing that there’s a chance for me in her heart. Guess that was a false fantasy I created myself.
“Well then… I’m such a bitch to ask you this but… I want to know if we’re still…. friends?” she asked me.
Friends? Blinking at her, I sighed, “Friends? I don’t know Snow…” I replied. “But I’ll try. I can’t guarantee you to you though. I guess all I can give you now is ‘we’re on good terms.” I said, with a sad smile, “I hope he treats you better than I do. Plus, I had always known that you two were a match….”
“Sorry Luke, I’m late.” Suddenly, a voice broke us apart. I looked up to the girl’s familiar British accent. It was Ember. She really came?
Snow faced me and asked, “You know Ember?”
I just shrugged, avoiding her gaze. “She’s…helping me to move on.”
Lies. Ember and I are not even that close, I just said it to Snow so that she wouldn’t have to really pity me.
I motioned for Ember to sit beside me and she did, a bit confused at what was happening. Oh right, I should have told Annie that I’m meeting today to talk. she must have been shocked.
Snow then nodded, looking at the both of us. “Oh, I see. Well, I better go then. Bye Luke.”
“Bye Snow,” I said.
But she turned to Ember and gave her a small smile, “Take care of him.”
Ember blinked at that, glanced at me, and raised her eyebrows at what Snow just said. Snow just chuckled at her cute reaction before she finally left the shop.
Once outside the shop, Snow drew heart shapes in the air through the transparent glass wall, pointing at Ember beside me.
I just shook my head, chuckling at that.
Ember then cleared her throat from beside me, opened her bag, and handed me my charger.
I could imagine the teasing look of Annie if she were ever to have been here. Anyways, smiling at ember, I muttered a thank you to her.
She just nodded, her cheeks turning a bit red. “What did you mean by…me, helping you to move on? you said it earlier to Snow..” she asked, her hopeful eyes looking at me expectantly.
Oh… I gulped, now feeling a bit guilty I said that without thinking.
“Oh… don’t mind that, haha,” I replied, shaking it off lightly. I’m not really meaning to hurt her, I need time to think for now.
But the look on her face said otherwise. Instead of feeling sad, she was smiling at me, “Well, I do mind.”
That startled me, “Wait what?”
She shrugged, “I mean, I can help you move on.”
I tilted my head and blurted out without even thinking, “Why? Do you like me?”
In an instant, I clasped my mouth shut at that, regretting asking that. Damn, I look like a narcissist now.
“Yes,” Ember answered in a split second.
I averted my gaze to the ground, not wanting to meet her eyes now. Wow, this is completely new. I’m not used to girls hitting on me. What should I do?
Finishing my vanilla latte, I gulped down the water on my throat, feeling sweat forming in my head from nervousness.
Is this a prank that Annie wanted her to do? Well, there’s no way of knowing without asking her.
Facing Ember, I asked her, “Are you joking with me, or is it a prank?”
She shook her head aggressively at that, “No, I’m serious, Luke. What made you think that?”
I just rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, flustered. “Well, I was always the one who did the first move,” I said, now starting to ramble. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that girls making the first move is wrong but.. it just… took me by surprise.”
She nodded understandingly, “I understand, Luke. I get your point, no need to get nervous around me. Just think of me as a friend first.” She said.
Sighing, I nodded. “Alright, let’s start off as friends then.” I paused and continued, “I’ll heal from heartbreak first, Em.”
“Got it, no pressure Luke. No pressure,” she replied, and with that, I broke into fits of laughter, and she also did the same.
When we finally recovered, I couldn’t help but ask, “How did you like me by the way, Em?”
she thought for a moment before shrugging in answer again, “I don’t know. I just liked you the moment I saw you.”
I blushed at that. Well damn. Now I’m speechless.
I really haven’t met a girl like this. This is totally new.
I should be heading home with tears in my eyes from Snow breaking up with me. But now that Ember came to me saying that, it looks like I would be coming home flustered and confused.