Things between Julian and Scarlet and Takeshi had just reached their boiling point. Takeshi was finally getting the guts to confess to Scarlet, oblivious to the chaos brewing between his best friend and the girl he liked.
It happened one day after school. Scarlet just stood by her locker, looking a little lost in thought. Takeshi took a deep breath and strode up to her, his usually confident stride faltering slightly. "Hey, Scarlet, can we talk?"
Scarlet looked up, surprised by the serious tone in his voice. "Sure, Takeshi. What is up?
Takeshi had hesitated, then decided to just go for it. "I like you, Scarlet. I have liked you for a while now, and I just wanted to tell you. I know it is out of the blue, but… I had to say someday or now."
Scarlet's heart started racing at the same second. She did not expect anything like this, which further confused her. She liked Takeshi as a friend, but with Julian, it was something deeper and strong. She found struggling for words. "Takeshi, I...I... don't know what to say."
Takeshi's face fell a little, though he quickly masked it with a grin. "It is okay. I just wanted you to know. No pressure or anything."
Scarlet nodded, her feeling muffled with conflict. "I appreciate it, Takeshi. I really do. But…just need some time to think."
He nodded, careful not to show how disappointed he was. "Yeah, sure. Take your time."
Later that evening, Julian heard from Miyu how Takeshi had confessed, eavesdropping through the grapevine. This news hit him like a gut punch. He felt Scarlet was slowly slipping away, and he could do nothing about it.
Convinced it was for the best, he told himself he needed to pull further away. He dove into his writing, using it as a form of escape. Trying to block out the confusing emotions he was feeling, Julian began to approach work frenetically. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't seem to get Scarlet out of his head-or those feelings of hers he most wanted to suppress.
Besides, the poor girl was caught in the middle of a whirlwind inside. Of course, Scarlet did not want to hurt Takeshi, but she just could not help her heart from tugging her toward Julian. In some ways, it was the fear of losing him and letting their connection slip through that scared her.
Miyu noticed Scarlet was acting differently inside her head and pulled her aside one day. "Scarlet, is everything all right? You seem a bit off these past days."
Scarlet let out a huff, running her hand through her hair. "It is just. everything is so confusing at this point in time, Miyu. I don't want to hurt anyone, yet I am just confused over what I'm feeling."
Miyu placed a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder. "Follow your heart, Scarlet. Don't let fear or guilt stop you from being happy."
Scarlet nodded, the words of her friend playing in her mind. But trying to tease these emotions apart, even the road farther ahead was grimier now.....................