CHAPTER 4: THE PERSON HE LIKES

Evenings like this were my favorite. The sky was clear, painted with millions of stars that twinkled softly above us. We were sitting on the balcony, the cool breeze gently brushing against our skin. It was quiet, peaceful, and just the two of us.

But tonight, my heart felt heavy. There was a question lingering in my mind for so long, a question I was too afraid to ask, but needed to know the answer to.

I played with the hem of my shirt, gathering every ounce of courage I had, before finally turning to look at him.

"Zander..." I started, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Hmm?" He turned his head, looking at me with those gentle, dark eyes that always seemed to hold so many unspoken words.

"Do you... have a girlfriend?"

The question hung in the air. I held my breath, waiting for his reply, my hands trembling slightly against my lap.

He looked back up at the night sky, a faint, soft smile playing on his lips.

"Not yet," he answered calmly.

My heart skipped a beat, a tiny spark of hope flickering inside me. But then, the next question came out before I could stop it.

"Then... do you like someone?"

He paused.

The silence that followed felt long, stretching out like an endless road. He slowly turned his head to look at me again. His expression was unreadable—deep, complicated, and filled with emotions I couldn't fully understand at my age.

"Yes," he said slowly, his voice low and sincere. "I have someone I like."

Thump.

My heart sank instantly. It felt like something heavy had dropped into my stomach, weighing me down. The tiny spark of hope I felt just a second ago was extinguished immediately.

"Oh..." was all I could manage to say. I looked down at my feet, trying to hide the disappointment that was surely written all over my face.

I pictured her in my mind. Someone older, I thought. Someone beautiful and mature, just like the girls I saw walking beside him at the university. Someone who understood his world, someone who wasn't just a kid like me.

I was just the little sister. The girl he patted on the head. I was nothing compared to her.

"She's very special to me," he added softly, his eyes never leaving my face. There was so much affection in his gaze, so much longing. "She's still growing up, though. So... I have to wait for her."

I didn't know. I was too young and naive to see the truth hidden in his eyes. I didn't realize that when he looked at me, he wasn't seeing a child anymore. He was seeing the person he had been waiting for all along.

"She must be really pretty," I whispered, my voice cracking slightly. I stared at my hands, afraid that if I looked up, he would see the tears starting to form.

Zander was silent for a moment. Then, he let out a soft breath, a sound that seemed mixed with amusement and something else—something like pain.

"She is," he said quietly. "Very pretty. In her own little way. She doesn't even know how beautiful she is."

My heart ached even more. She. Always she.

I bit my lower lip, trying to hold back the sadness washing over me. "Then... you should tell her. Don't wait too long. Someone else might take her first."

I meant it as advice, but saying it out loud felt like I was stabbing my own heart.

Zander turned his head to look at me fully. The moonlight illuminated his face, highlighting the complexity of his expression. There was longing, patience, and a deep, endless affection.

"Maybe," he murmured, his eyes searching my face as if he wanted to say so much more. "But some things are worth waiting for. The best things... they don't come easily. You have to be patient. You have to make sure you are ready, and she is ready."

He reached out again, just like the first time, and gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. His touch lingered on my cheek, warm and electrifying.

"Goodnight, Elara," he said softly. "Sleep well."

He turned and walked away, leaving me standing there under the stars.

That night, I cried into my pillow. I thought I had lost him before I even had the chance to have him. I thought my feelings were one-sided, destined to remain a secret forever.

I didn't know that as Zander walked away that night, he touched his own chest, feeling his heart beat fast.

He was talking about me.

He was waiting for me.

And little did I know, he was suffering just as much, hiding his love behind a smile, afraid to scare the only person who ever mattered to him.

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