The mood was too intense.
Seo—of all people—was never the type to corner me with such a question.
She'd always been the quiet one, the indifferent one.
But now… she was trembling, staring right at me, eyes brimming with tears she probably didn't even notice falling.
"Please… like me as well, Riley."
Her voice lingered in the air, fragile yet unyielding, and I found myself at a loss.
Was she always like this, deep down? Had I simply been too blind to see it?
I thought I'd been clear about my feelings, in my own way.
I thought she understood—But the way her voice cracked, the desperation in her tone, the sight of those falling tears… it hit me harder than I expected.
Had I been too dismissive of her feelings?
Maybe.
Seo wasn't just a friend to me.
I'd told myself that for so long, but the truth was—every boundary we crossed, every little moment we shared—it all blurred that line until it barely even existed anymore.
