Chereads / My Sister's Shadow / Chapter 35 - Heartstrings Tangled

Chapter 35 - Heartstrings Tangled

Alex felt Sarah freeze up, but he knew this was the moment he had been waiting for. He pulled her close and kissed her, feeling complete as if he had been longing for this moment for an eternity. Sarah weakly resisted, but Alex couldn't help but smile - he knew he affected her as much as she affected him. And to think, it was all thanks to a stupid prank. Alex had been confused before, but the moment he realized his feelings for Sarah, he knew what he had to do. He had already made his choice long ago, but was too afraid to act on it. Now, he couldn't stay away from Sarah any longer.

He couldn't resist her pull, even if he tried. His heart had already chosen her a long time ago, but fear had held him back. Yet, when he thought something had happened to her, his emotions overwhelmed him. In that moment, he knew without a doubt that he loved her.

On the other hand, Sarah was taken aback by Alex's sudden appearance. She never expected to miss him so much, or for him to take the initiative to kiss her. His desire for her was evident in the way he held her close, the thudding of his heart under her hand, and the way he gently grasped the nape of her neck and kissed her.

With each passing moment, Sarah's resistance faded, and she found herself surrendering to Alex's touch. Closing her eyes, she leaned in, unable to resist the magnetic pull between them. A soft sigh escaped her lips as his kiss washed over her, leaving her feeling weightless and elated.

Suddenly, it hit her like a ton of bricks - she loved him. The realization was both exhilarating and terrifying, and Sarah couldn't help but feel a rush of emotions that made her want to scream with joy.

But then reality set in. Alex was with Deliah, Sarah's own sister, and she couldn't betray her like that. With a gasp, Sarah pulled away from Alex and stumbled backwards, her mind racing with conflicting thoughts and emotions. Alex's face fell, and he reached out to grab her, but Sarah dodged away, her heart pounding in her chest.

Sarah gasped in shock, her voice barely a whisper as she pulled away from Alex's embrace. Her mind raced as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. "What are you doing?!" she managed to utter, her hands flying to her lips.

Alex stepped forward, gently taking her hands in his and pressing them against his chest. "Please, just listen to me," he implored, his eyes pleading with hers.

Sarah's heart raced as she stared into his deep, sincere gaze. She couldn't deny the feelings she had for him, even if she tried. "You better have a good reason for this," she murmured, her voice quivering with emotion.

"I do," Alex replied, his grip tightening on her hands. "I know this might be hard to understand, but I couldn't go another day without telling you how I feel."

Sarah's eyes widened in surprise, her heart skipping a beat. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I mean that I like you more than a friend, Sarah," Alex declared, his voice firm and unwavering. "And I couldn't bear the thought of letting you go another day without knowing the truth."

"Sarah, Deliah has never been anything more to me than a sister." Alex's voice was gentle as he spoke. "I was blind to that fact before, foolishly believing that I could develop romantic feelings for her. But I couldn't. I never could."

Sarah's heart raced as she listened to Alex. "But you can try, right?" she asked, hopeful.

Alex's response was immediate. "Do you remember how hard it was for me to even kiss her cheek?" he asked, his voice pained. "I did that for you, because I wanted to make you happy. But it wasn't easy for me. I did it because you asked me to."

As he spoke, Sarah's emotions swirled around inside her, a mixture of anxiety and excitement. It was as if a swarm of butterflies had suddenly taken up residence in her stomach, their wings flapping wildly.

As Alex looked into her eyes and gently cupped her cheek, Sarah's heart skipped a beat. The Sarah Johnson inside her was jumping for joy at the thought that the man she loved might finally feel the same way. But the Sarah Johnson who was an elder sister couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.

"Sarah, I think you have an inkling of what I'm about to say," Alex began.

Sarah's eyes widened with anticipation as she waited for him to continue.

"I know I should have realized this sooner, but I want to make things right," Alex said. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I can't believe it took a silly prank for me to see it. But now that I have, I know that I want to be with you, and not Deliah."

Sarah's heart soared at his words.

He continued "I yearn for every moment with you, even when Deliah is around. Sarah Johnson do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" he pleaded for some form of positive response.

Sarah shut her eyes tightly and held her breath, hoping Alex wouldn't say the words she feared. She knew that once he did, she couldn't deny her feelings for him any longer. "I love you, Sarah," Alex declared.

Overcome with emotion, Sarah couldn't hold back the tears any longer and collapsed into Alex's arms. "Sarah, are you crying because you're happy or sad?" Alex asked, holding her tightly.

Sarah pulled away from him, backing up against the wall. "Alex, you can't say that. It's not right," she protested.

"I know it's not right because I'm with Deliah, but being with her is the mistake, Sarah. Being with you is the correction," Alex explained passionately.

Tears continued to stream down Sarah's face as she shook her head. She longed to stay in Alex's embrace forever, but knew it was impossible. The warmth of his touch was comforting, but she couldn't ignore the fact that what they were doing was wrong.

"Alex, this isn't right. Deliah will be crushed," Sarah croaked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Can't we just forget this happened and move on?"

But Alex was resolute. "Can you forget you were ever born?" he challenged. "I love you, Sarah. This isn't a mistake, it's real. And the only right thing to do now is to be honest with Deliah and break up with her."

Sarah's eyes widened in shock. "You can't do that, she'll be devastated!"

"I know," Alex replied, taking a step closer to her. "But right now, I need to know how you feel. I've poured my heart out to you, can't you do the same for me? I can't believe this connection between us is one-sided. Please, tell me how you feel." He gently held her face and gazed into her eyes.

Sarah's heart was pounding. I love him. I love him. I love him. But she couldn't bring herself to say it. "I don't love you," she whispered weakly.

"I know you're not being honest, Sarah. You can't hide your true feelings from me." Alex murmured, his voice steady,

"I'm telling the truth, Alex. I don't love you." Sarah replied, but her conviction wavered when she saw Alex's unwavering gaze. He knew her too well.

"Sorry, Sarah, but I can't stay with liah when my heart belongs to you. You can't forbid me from breaking up with her." Alex's words were gentle but firm.

"I'm not kidding, Alex. If you do this, I'll never speak to you again." Sarah's voice broke as she struggled to control her emotions.

Alex's expression remained resolute. "I understand how you feel, but I can't ignore my true feelings. It's not fair to Deliah or to myself. I choose you, Sarah."

Sarah's eyes closed in defeat, and she turned to leave. "I meant what I said, Alex. If you choose to break up with liah, our friendship is over."

With that, she stormed out of the room, leaving Alex with a heavy heart.

*****

The night was a flood of tears for Sarah, unlike any she had ever experienced. Oh, the irony of it all - why did she have to fall for Alex? So many mixed emotions, so many conflicting desires.

On one hand, she wished he would forget about her and stay with Deliah. On the other hand, she longed for him to fight for her, to whisper those sweet nothings in her ear and gaze into her eyes as though she was the only person in the world.

"How did things come to this?" Sarah groaned in frustration.

***********

"Sarah, let's go grab some lunch," he said, giving her wrist a playful tug. Sarah's heart somersaulted as she looked at his hands, feeling a sense of longing she couldn't deny.

It had only been three days since Alex had confessed his love for her. Three days of him trying to get a reaction out of her, and three days of her trying not to let on how much he affected her.

It was hell.

No matter how cold or fierce Sarah was

to him, Alex wouldn't budge. It was like he

could see through her entire act, her facade, her soul.

It was like he knew she loved him back and was just waiting for her to admit it.

And it was getting harder and harder for Sarah to avoid him because, sh*t, how she wanted to just bury herself in his chest as he murmured sweet nothings in her ear. The first time she fantasized about something like that, she was shocked and scolded herself fiercely.

And then those thoughts kept coming and by the end of two days, she gave up and continued dreaming.

"I don't want to." Sarah mumbled, keeping her eyes on her book. "I have my lunch right here so I'll eat here."

The Aerospace boys watched in interest. They knew Alex confessed, they knew Sarah rejected him. And they could see she like him back.

Watching Alex and Sarah was quite the spectacle, I must say. It was like a game of cat and mouse as he pursued her, and she attempted to evade him. They were going round and round in circles.

"Well, if you insist, I'll stay here with you," Alex said, plopping down and pulling out his bento box. He flashed a playful grin at Sarah.

Sarah scowled. "No, you should go. Liah will be there."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to shout it out loud here? Because I already told you, I'll be wherever you are because I love--"

Before he could finish, Sarah covered his mouth with her hand, causing him to chuckle and plant a kiss on her palm. Sarah withdrew her hand, shooting him a death glare.

Alex's grin only widened. "Adorable."

With a sigh, Sarah relented. "Fine, I'll go to the cafeteria with you guys," she muttered, grumbling a string of curs*es under her breath as she trailed after the Aerospace boys.

Brad gave Alex a thumbs up, and Alex beamed with satisfaction. He wasn't sure how Sarah felt about him initially, but he had a feeling that she might love him back.

Because the Sarah Johnson who was in love with him would have acted exactly the way she just did.

And the Sarah who put her sister first before herself and didn't have any feelings for him would have given him a slap on his face.

Seeing how his pretty cheeks were bruise-free, he knew how she felt.