5
He led me to the rooftop.
The sun was blinding. He stood by the railing, head down, looking exhausted.
“I saw you liked that photo.”
“And?”
“Do you like him?”
1219
12.19
Chapter 2
“Is that any of your business?”
He fell silent for a few seconds, as if my coldness had choked him. He looked away, flustered.
“You’ve changed.”
“Yeah. I stopped chasing you, and suddenly I’ve changed.”
He looked up, his eyes a storm of emotions. “Weren’t we together? How can you not have any trust in me?”
I laughed, but the sound was ice.
“Together? I chased you for a whole year, and you casually agreed to ‘give it a try.“”
“You knew I brought you food and water every day. You knew I waited for you all day on my birthday. You knew I turned a blind eye
every time you and Stella got too close.”
“You knew. But you never once said ‘I like you.“”
I’m tired, Leo. If you love me, then say it. Don’t make me guess every single day.”
He couldn’t speak, just clenched his fists so tight the veins popped on his hands.
The comments erupted:
[I’m crying, Leo is so pitiful! He was going to confess to her tonight!]
[Mia, stop, you’re going to break him! AHHHH!]
[He really loves you, he just doesn’t know how to show it! He’s been like this since he was a kid, don’t push him!]
I looked at him, my voice dropping.
“Leo, if you don’t say it, I’ll just assume you never loved me at all.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” he demanded, his voice cracking.
“It means I’m done waiting.”
Suddenly, he lost control, stalking toward me.
“You stopped loving me a long time ago, didn’t you?”
“You’re really involved with that senior, aren’t you?”
“You were planning to dump me all along, and now you’re just playing the victim-”
Smack!
I raised my hand and slapped him across the face.
The comments went silent for a beat, then completely lost their minds:
[AHHHHHHHH WHY DID YOU HIT HIM!!]
[LEO’S CRYING!!! HE’S ACTUALLY CRYING!!!]
[Mia, you’re too cruel! He was about to get on his knees…]
“You have no right to question me,” I said, my voice trembling but firm. “I never did anything wrong.”
“I never asked you for anything, except for you to stop pretending you didn’t care about me.”
1219 0
Chapter 2
“But you wouldn’t even give me the words ‘I like you.“”
His eyes were red, his voice a low rasp.
“You think I didn’t say it because I don’t like you?”
“I didn’t say it because I was scared.”
“I was afraid that the moment I said it, you’d really leave.”
I looked at him, and I suddenly remembered the reason he gave for rejecting my friend request when I first tried to add him:
“I’m not used to girls being so forward.”
So you weren’t just “not used to it.”
You just didn’t want to respond.
We stood there on the rooftop, neither of us speaking.
Finally, I turned and walked away. My steps were steady. I didn’t look back.
Behind me, the comments were still scrolling frantically:
[Leo’s broken! He’s going to lose it!]
[He sat there for an hour without moving! Mia, go back and check on him!]
[If you don’t forgive him, he’s really going to go insane!]
But this time, I truly didn’t turn back.
Even when ! heard him call my name behind me, his voice choked with helpless sobs.
I just let out a single, quiet breath.
“Goodbye, Leo.”
6
