Third-Person Point of View
"Riley..." Eash stared into Riley's face as if searching for words he couldn't find.
"Why didn't you come to me, Eash?" Riley asked gently but insistently.
"I… I…” Each struggled to respond, still lost, searching for the right words but unable to find them.
"Don't lie to me again," Riley said calmly, her eyes fixed on his. "I want an honest answer."
Eash looked down, voice trembling. "Riley… I… I love you," he said, finally meeting her eyes and speaking sincerely.
At last, the words Riley had been waiting to hear for so long escaped his lips. She should have been ecstatic—after all, how many times had she imagined him saying that? Yet, surprisingly, instead of feeling joy, she only felt a strange mixture of confusion and numbness.
"I love you so much… I wa
