Chapter 2: The Beginning, Part 2
1070 Words
At prestigious private university / Faculty of Engineering, Computer Engineering Department…
"Hey, Eve... can you help me with something?" Darren said to me while we were sitting at the marble table waiting for the others.
"What is it?"
"I like Leah."
My eyes widened, and it felt like the world stopped spinning. I couldn't breathe.
Darren confessed that he liked Leah. What stunned me wasn't his confession.
It's because I like Darren...
Otherwise, I wouldn't have stuck around to study with him. I still don't even know what I'll do after I graduate.
"Then why are you telling me! Why don't you tell Leah?" It took me a few seconds to find my voice.
"I don't dare... I'm afraid Leah doesn't feel the same way."
"Are you sure that you really like Leah? If you're not serious, maybe you should just leave Leah alone. I don't want to see my close friend get hurt because of you."
"I really like Leah, liked her since the first time I saw her."
I liked you since the first time I saw you too, Darren.
"So, what do you want me to help with?" I asked Darren, holding my breath.
"Can you secretly ask Leah for me how she feels about me? If Leah feels the same way I do, I'll ask her to be my girlfriend."
Ask Leah to be his girlfriend, huh? And what about me? I've secretly liked you for 3 years now...
"Alright, I'll try asking her," I promised him with a broken heart.
This is what heartbreak feels like before it even begins...
Darren once told me that I was the girl he was closest to. I was the one who stayed by his side, encouraged him, and helped him with his studies. He said he couldn't live without me. I admit that his words made me think far ahead. I thought he would feel the same way about me as I did about him.
But today, I realized... I'm just a friend to him.
Shouldn't I be happy? If the two friends I love both love each other...
But why does my heart ache so much?
I set up a meeting with Leah at a bakery near campus Today. I arrived a little early because my class ended earlier than usual. It wasn't long before Leah walked in.
"Eve... have you been here long?" Leah asked me.
"I just got here, take a seat," I told Leah.
"How's your studying going?" Leah asked me.
"Hmm, it's good. How about you?"
"It's okay, pretty fun," Leah replied before asking me again, "Did you have something in mind when you asked me to meet up?"
"N-no, nothing. Just missed you," I replied.
"And the others?"
"They'll probably be here soon... I ordered drinks and snacks for you," I told Leah.
"Hmm, thanks a lot."
Not long after, the drinks and snacks I ordered arrived.
"Leah, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, ask away," Leah said as she took a sip from her glass.
"How do you feel about Darren?" Leah choked on her drink immediately after I asked.
"You're crazy... just asking something like that out of the blue," I saw Leah blush, and I knew right away that Leah liked Darren too.
If my two dear friends' hearts align so perfectly, I guess I have to play Cupid...
"You like Darren, don't you?"
"I'm a girl, Eve... how can I just say that?"
"Just admit you like Darren too."
"Hmm, I do."
I guess I'm really heartbroken now. At this moment, Darren walked into the shop carrying a big bouquet. He heard every word I said to Leah because he had me call him and keep the line open.
I stood up immediately as Darren was about to reach our table. Leah was sitting with her back to Darren, so she didn't see him coming.
"Where are you going, Eve?" Leah asked me.
"Uh... I just need to use the bathroom. I'll be right back."
"Hmm," Leah smiled at me slightly, and I smiled back at her and at Darren too, with a smile through my tears.
"Congratulations," I told Darren as we passed each other, before I quickly walked out of the shop.
I don't really know what happened after that. I just know that I'm hurt, seeing my two friends in love.
That day, Darren and Leah agreed to be a couple, with Leah asking Darren to stop flirting. Otherwise, she wouldn't date him. Darren, who had secretly liked Leah for 2 years, immediately agreed. I know this because Darren told me, even though I really didn't want to know.
From that day on, I had to endure watching Darren and Leah being lovey-dovey with each other every day. Even though they were in different faculties, whenever their free time matched, they'd come and be all lovey-dovey right in front of me. Since Darren got a girlfriend, he changed. He didn't go to clubs as often as before, and if he did, he'd have to bring Leah along, and he'd drag me with them too. As for other girls, they just seemed to disappear because Leah threatened that if Darren ever cheated on her, she'd break up with him immediately.
Darren and Leah had been together for two years when they started having conflicts, mostly due to Leah's demanding nature. Since Darren started dating Leah, he had to constantly please her and couldn't upset her. If Darren ever upset Leah, they'd argue, and Leah would cut off contact for several days, not answering calls or reading messages. Every time, regardless of whether Darren was right or wrong, he had to be the one to apologize to Leah. And every time he apologized, it cost him a fortune in gifts like bags, shoes, clothes, jewelry, and many other brand-name items.
And importantly, every time they fought, it was always me who had to deal with it. How, you ask?
Darren would come to my room and vent about their fights, which would spiral into other topics. If the argument was severe, Darren would even cry. He must really love Leah to cry over her so many times. And every time, I was the one who had to comfort him, take care of him when he was down, and play cupid to patch things up between them.
Just imagine how painful it is for me.
- Writer
