—-Alessia POV—-
Damian called and told me he wanted to tell me something.
Lately, the two of us have been hitting it off.
It's only been a week since I met him, but I ended up liking him. He was sweet, a good listener, ambitious, and tall.
Even dad liked him. At least that's what I think.
Anyway, after he told me he wanted to tell me something, my heart started beating, pumping out of my chest.
I was bold enough to tell him I wanted to hang out with him, just us two, so I could piece together what he wanted to say. 'I like you. Be my girlfriend.'
Those thoughts came to me and immediately made me blush.
Damian would be my first boyfriend. I was extremely excited.
After he called me to meet him at the park, I rushed downstairs and tried leaving. However, my parents were there watching a movie. Curious, they asked me where I was going.
"Going to the park."
"With who? By yourself?"
I nodded my head with a little blush. 'Why did mom have to ask that?'
My dad looked my way and smirked. Oh no!
"Are you meeting a boy?"
My face went red and before I could say anything, my mom chimed in with an "Ooooo. Who is it?"
"It's definitely that Damian boy."
"What Damian? Honey, you met her boyfriend?"
"Yeah. He came by when he was selling chocolates. He even gave us some."
"What a sweet boy. Make sure you tell him to come over after you two meet. I wanna meet him."
"Ugh. Whatever!"
Not knowing what else to say, I stormed out of my house and ran to the park. I was too excited to hear the words I've kept imagining since he called.
The trip didn't even last five minutes. Huffing and puffing, I waited a minute to catch my breath before walking over to Damian, who was sitting at a table.
I walked to the table and sat right in front of him.
"Hey. What's up?"
I tried acting like I wasn't nervous.
Damian flashed a smile in my way before taking a deep breath.
The atmosphere wasn't like I imagined. It was a lot heavier, but I didn't mind. I waited for him to speak.
"Alessia. You're an amazing girl. Smart, talented, funny, and overall just cool. We get along really well. And I know you like me. Which is why I came here to talk to you."
I was confused. Why was he saying this? Is this some unique way to confess?
"But I can't say I like you in that way. It's really not you. You are beautiful and funny. It's just I don't want to commit to a relationship when I'm not giving it my all. I'm focused on my side hustles and the business I'm starting. I came to tell you now because I've taught about how I've been unconsciously leading you on. And I didn't want to lead you on anymore."
"I-"
I wasn't even able to speak. The words got caught in my throat. "I-I see. That's fine."
Before I knew it, some tears started falling down my face.
I had only known the guy for a week, and I was already crying after being rejected. 'If I- if I knew, I wouldn't have come with my hopes up.'
Although thinking that, I knew I was wrong.
I had a feeling this would not go the way I wanted it. I ignored it. Just like how I ignored the hesitation from Damian's answer to hang out with just us two.
Damian got up and sat beside me. He gave me a side hug before speaking. "Alessia. We're 14. I see you as a good friend. If we date and break up, that friendship I cherish so much will break apart. I don't wanna lose such a good friend so early on. We're young and have plenty of time to find our soul mates. If we rush anything now, nothing going will come out of it. And if forced myself to lie to you, the relationship would just get toxic."
He was right. Damian did nothing wrong. All he did was tell me his true feelings and look out for me. If we dated and he didn't like me, we would eventually break up. I doubt if that happened, we'd still be good friends.
"I-I understand. You don't have to feel bad. Thanks for letting me know how you really feel."
I gave him a proper hug before getting up and walking home.
"Do-"
He stopped mid-sentence. I was guessing he would ask me if I wanted to be walked home. But that would just hurt more. He was such a good guy. Anymore, and I seriously think I'd start liking him more.
"I'll call you when I get home. Have a safe trip, Damian."
I flashed him a smile and went home.
When I reached my porch, I called Damian. After I let him know I got home safely, I walked into my house.
My parents, who were on the couch, got up excitedly and came my way.
They were most likely going to ask about Damian, but stopped themselves after they saw my puffed-up, red eyes.
"What did he do!?"
My dad roared out in anger.
"Calm down, honey. Let Alessia explain. I also want to know what that bitch did."
My mom calmed my dad down as we walked back to the couch.
I sat down and explained everything that had happened.
After the explanation, my parents gave me a hug.
"Baby, don't worry. He's not good enough for you, anyway. Don't get so worked up over a boy. You're 14. You have plenty of time."
I nodded at my dad's words, unable to say anything.
"At least he didn't lead you on any more than he did."
My mom was right. Damian was incredibly nice. He could've dated me, only looking for sexual things like how boys in my friends' stories do, but he didn't.
That night, I went to sleep. Not sad or depressed at being rejected anymore. I didn't want to lose such a good friend over something so silly.
-----------------MC POV--------
After she called me, I let out a sigh.
I hated seeing a girl cry because of me. It happened before and it certainly was just as bad as last time.
I couldn't imagine how her parents reacted when they saw her puffed-up eyes. If it was my daughter, I would've freaked out, searching for the guy. Hopefully, they won't do that, though.
I walked home with a slight chuckle and a brief sigh.
"Youth, is something."