"Will you ever forgive me for this?" Marcello asked in disbelief.
"Of course, my love. And I accept our breakup," the blonde smiled faintly, though sadness shimmered in her eyes. "Let's just stay friends. If she's truly the one, the only one… then don't stop."
"Forgive me," Vesper rasped, pulling his—now former—girlfriend into a hug.
Stop! Stop! Stop! I screamed inwardly, watching the scene unfold. You forgive him?! How? Maybe I'm missing something here, but isn't this the part where she should slap him and cause a scene?
"My love, don't say that," she laughed softly, looking into his eyes. "You know, love comes when you least expect it."
Vesper chuckled, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer.
No! Don't you dare! I thought, horrified.
"Blair..."
"Don't say anything. I want to remember this moment," she whispered, reaching for his face. Their lips met in a passionate kiss, and soon they were wrapped in each other, kissing like wild animals.
I grimaced and turned away. Yeah, that's enough drama for today.
"Sorry I'm late," my friend finally ran up to me.
"Uh-huh."
"What's wrong with you? What happened to your face?"
"Nothing," I growled, shoving my notebook at him. "Thanks."
Later, I decided to take a walk through the park near Miss Amignana's café. The rain had almost stopped, dripping only lightly through the trees. My clothes were damp, curls clinging to my forehead. The day had drained me — anger, disappointment, and everything in between.
Love is such a strange thing — painful, yet sweet like melted marshmallow. Breakups hurt both people, but everyone feels it differently. Watching them… I started to doubt love itself.
The first and only time I'd fallen in love was back in kindergarten. We played house, and it felt cute — childish, innocent. Maybe I'm just afraid of being left behind. My dad abandoned us years ago, leaving me and Mom alone. And now… she's been lying in a hospital bed for years. Her test results keep swinging up and down, and I'm not sure this will ever end. At my age, I should probably get rid of this cursed thing called love.
Suddenly, I heard shouting. Panic surged through me, but I followed the sound. In a narrow alley between an old building and a newly opened restaurant, two figures were struggling.
"Hey! Officer! Can you come here?" I shouted, pretending someone was behind me.
The thief spun around, glared, and bolted.
"Yeah, officer! There are two exits!" I yelled again as he disappeared over the wall.
Then I turned to the other figure — a girl with soft green eyes. Her light-blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, and her white dress looked completely out of place in the chilly air.
"Thank you," she said quietly, brushing the dust off her dress.
"Are you okay? Did he take anything? Was he armed?" I asked.
She shook her head and clutched a small black purse with a beaded strap. She was clearly trying to stay calm, but her shoulders trembled. I took off my black sweater; she looked startled as I gently placed it on her.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"Alice," she answered briefly.
"I'm Julian. Come on — let's go to a café. You need to warm up."
Her eyes brightened, and her fingers tightened slightly on the wool fabric. We reached the café quickly. I ordered two coffees and a dessert. She refused at first, but when I insisted, she gave in.
As she ate, I just watched — thinking. All I could do was think. She noticed, blushed, swallowed a bite of cake, and blurted out:
"I'll pay you back!"
"No need," I waved my hand. "Consider it a friendly gesture."
She smiled faintly.
"So, where were you going dressed like that? It's autumn, not summer," I asked. She lowered her gaze, stirring her tea. "Are you meeting someone? Maybe I can help?"
Her face dimmed. She set the spoon aside and said quietly:
"Julian, have you ever felt… unwanted? Like no one really wants to see you?"
I thought of my class. I didn't belong there. They mocked me, wished I'd disappear. But I didn't.
"You have to keep going out of spite," I muttered, lifting my cup. "The world doesn't revolve around them. Whether they want you or not — it's your choice that matters."
A shy smile crossed her lips.
"You say that like you don't care what anyone thinks."
"Why should I?" I smirked. "Do you know how many opinions there are in this world? If I tried to count them all, I'd explode."
The fragrant scent of coffee filled the air, making the café feel even more magical. Only then did I notice how Alice was looking at me — with admiration, curiosity. My cheeks burned, but I hid it behind my cup. Once I calmed down, I asked:
"So what happened?"
"Well," she began, "I just moved here. It's all new — the people, the city. My parents own a chain of dress boutiques around the world, and business is going great. That's why we relocated — their main office is here. I should be happy, right? New place, new life… but—"
"But?" I echoed.
"They locked me up in the house. With guards. Told me not to go out. They treat me like I'm made of glass."
"So you ran away?"
"Yeah."
"Do you have somewhere to go?"
"Of course," she smiled. "I've already made a couple of friends. I'll stay with them. So don't worry."
She winked playfully and took another sip. I looked out the window — the rain was finally dying down.
"So, what about you?" she asked. "Tell me something about yourself."
"Ha, I'm just a regular business-school student trying to survive," I shrugged.
"That's it? No hobbies? Favorite book? Song?" she teased, firing questions.
"I've never thought about it. What about you?"
"Oh, I love reading — especially fairy tales," her eyes lit up. "Though, you know, the modern ones are even better. The last one I read was The Taste of a Rose Kiss. It's my favorite."
"Sounds like a romance novel."
"Uh-huh. It's about a prince captured and sold to a beautiful thief. She falls for him and keeps him in her castle, but he doesn't return her love. So she brews a potion from rose petals, turns it into lipstick, and starts kissing him. Eventually, it works — they spend more time together, and there are so many sweet moments. But then, his fiancée finds out, creates an antidote, and ruins everything. The ending broke my heart — the potion never worked on him. He loved her all along."
She sighed and hugged herself. "I'd kill to be reborn as that thief."
"Interesting," I murmured.
We talked for a while, and when I paid and we stepped outside, we froze. Just a few meters away, on a bench, sat Josephine and Charlie — wrapped in each other's arms, feeding each other sweets. Charlie kissed her face tenderly, and she giggled.
"Who are they?" Alice asked, watching me carefully. "Your girlfriend?"
"No. My classmates."
She squeezed my arm encouragingly as they finally noticed us. Both froze like they'd been struck by lightning, then scrambled to their feet.
"Hey, Julian," the redhead said cautiously, glancing at the girl beside me.