I watch as Raven and Nero sit on the bench, their hands interlocks together as they chat happily. My heart sinks at the sight, causing a pang of unexpected jealousy.I try to push aside the feeling, telling myself that I wanted this for Raven. But as I watch them talking and laughing together, I can't help the pang of jealousy that rises within me.'Why do I feel like this? I'm supposed to be happy for her. ' I mentally curse, not understanding my own feelings."Hey, you don't look so well. You were just smiling awhile ago and now you're all.. I don't know.. bothered?" Rogue interrupts me, still unaware of Raven and Nero close by as we stand near the cotton candy stand.I'm jerked back from my thoughts as Rogue notices my change in demeanor. I try to brush it off, forcing a smile."No, I'm fine, really. I was just lost in thought, that's all."I try to convince Rogue, not wanting to admit how seeing Raven with Nero is making me feel even more bothered."Well.. here." Rogue takes the cotton candy he paid for and hands it over to me with a smile.I look down at the cotton candy in Rogue's hand, completely surprised by his gesture."Oh, um, thanks." I say, taking the cotton candy. The sweetness of the fluffy treat feels almost out of place with the mix of emotions swirling inside me."You didn't have to.." I add, still a bit bewildered by his unexpected action."Well, I want to. Besides, sweets are the get-go when feeling upset. I don't really know what's bothering you but, I hope this helps." Rogue says as he comforts me, smiling happily as he gets his own cotton candy."... Well, it's.. nice, thank you." I reply, though still bothered with Raven and Nero who are now just sitting next to each other, I try to bury the feeling in the presence of Rogue.'I shouldn't even be comforted by this guy. It feels strange.' I think to myself, keeping in mind that I'm straight and not homosexual.I take a bite of the cotton candy, letting the sweetness try to overtake the mixed emotions swirling in my head. Rogue's sweet gesture distracts me momentarily from my brooding thoughts, yet my mind continues to replay the sight of Raven and Nero hand in hand.As we stand in silence for a moment, I glance once more in their direction."Do you wanna go for a teacup ride or something?" Raven asks softly to Nero who slightly frowns."I don't wanna take the fun out of this day. Please, don't hesitate to go for something that gives you thrill and comfort." Nero says, urging Raven to go with what she wants."Uh.. technically it can be a thrill too? But, hmm.. what about a haunted house ride?" Raven suggests."Oh, sure." Nero replies.'They're on the move again.' I follow immediately by walking to their direction and Rogue who is eating the cotton candy realized I was already walking away and he follows me.When we arrived at the location the two decides to go to, I realized we ended up in a haunted house attraction."Welcome to Wonderland's Haunted Wonder Mansion. Be sure to follow our pathway so you don't get close all the way in." The attendant says with a smile as they are talking to all the people present."Huh, not a ride.." Nero mutters to himself."Yup. Though, I hope you're okay with scary jumpscares." Raven says as she looks at him."Well, I'm fine with it." Nero answers, returning back to his stoic expression."Alright, let's go in." Raven says as she heads in with Nero.I wait as the next two people are about to follow up next in front of us."Haunted Wonder? Does everything need to have Wonder title in it?" Rogue mutters as he looks at the Haunted Wonder's sign above.I can't help but agree with Rogue's observation about the repetitive "Wonder" title in every attraction name. It's definitely odd and quite unoriginal.As we stand behind the two people getting ready to enter the haunted house. I could not help but feel curious to what's in store for us.I've been a big fan of horror, especially jumpscares."Hopefully nothing bad happens to those two." I mutter to myself, thinking of Raven and Nero while watching the two people ahead of us head inside as we now wait for our turn."Hmm? What?" Rogue asks me.I slipped up and turn to him with a nervous smile.I turn to Rogue who looks at me with a questioning expression. Damn, I forgot that he was with me."Oh, it's nothing." I try to brushed it off with casual tone."I just hope the two ahead of us are gonna be fine in that haunted house." I say sheepishly, trying to appear nonchalant."Huh.. you're pretty caring. Just as I thought, you are a pretty nice person." Rogue smiles happily.Rogue's compliment catches me off guard at his observation about me being a nice person. I'm not used to people commenting about my personality like that."Oh, um, thanks. I just don't want anything bad to happen to them." I reply, still trying to play it cool.But as we continue to wait, my mind can't help but wonder about Raven and Nero who are inside."Alright, next." The attendant says towards me and Rogue.We approach the entrance of the Halloween house, the eerie atmosphere instantly settling in as we step into the darkened entryway. The sound of our footsteps echoing off the concrete path as we follow the dimly lit route.I feel a mix of excitement and trepidation as we walk further inside, anticipating some scary surprises.The path twists and turns, leading us further into the heart of the house. As we pass each corner, a new scare awaits - a monster appearing from the shadows, a sudden loud sound blaring from a speaker, or a creepy face suddenly popping out.I have to admit, the house is doing its job. Despite my being a horror fan, I still find myself jumping and gasping every few minutes.We finally manage to exit the house, my heart still racing from all the scares we endured inside. I glance back at the house, feeling a sense of relief that we made it through. I turn back to Rogue who is smiling happily."Hey, you.. good?" I ask, seeing him scared for good.'I was wondering why he was so quiet when we walked in, but he was this scared?' I look at him as he nods stiffly that he's okay."That was intense!" I exclaim, still adrenaline-pumped from the experience. Even Rogue seems to have been affected, though he tries to play it cool."Yeah, it.. was.. something.." Rogue replies, his voice still shaky."You were pretty scared in there, weren't you?" I ask with a sly grin.Rogue looks at me, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tries to cover up his fear."Me? Scared? Pfft, of course not." He denies, but his tense demeanor betrays him. I can't help but chuckle softly."Suuure.." I reply, not buying his denial."You almost latched onto me when that chainsaw wielding clown jumped in front of us." I tease him, relishing in his embarrassed reaction.Rogue's face turns flush, realizing I'm calling him out on his scared reactions."Hey, that clown was unexpected! Anyone would've been startled." He argues, his voice betraying his defensiveness.I laugh lightly, enjoying the rare sight of tough guy Rogue being this flustered."Whatever you say, big guy." I tease, enjoying his embarrassed expression."That was great, huh?" Raven asks Nero."Yeah, but are you okay? This time you seemed to hold onto me a lot." Nero asks."Ah, yeah. Sorry about that. But, I get scared easily." Raven replies softly as she chuckles nervously."Huh? But, why'd we enter then?" Nero's eyes went wide for a moment as he was surprised by Raven's response."Well, cause it's thrilling? You never know what can happen inside. It's fun." She says happily as she smiles brightly."... I see." Nero mutters."What's wrong?" Raven asks."Well, I'm reminded of the school festival where a class tried to have a horror attraction theme." Nero says in response as he looks over to Raven again."Ah, I see. " Raven mutters softly.'They seem to be getting along really well.' I think to myself as the jealousy returns back slightly.I try my best to hide my feelings from Rogue, not wanting him to notice how bothered I am by Raven and Nero getting closer.But, despite my attempts, my mind keeps drifting back to them and the thoughts of them together.'I shouldn't feel this way. ' I tell myself sternly, trying to push the negative thoughts away.'It's all for Raven's happy ending. I don't belong to this world. I'm not her Estelle. I'm not.. ' I think to myself as I look down.As I struggle with my conflicting emotions, I notice Rogue looking over at me with a slightly worried expression. It's clear he notices something's off with me, even if he doesn't know exactly what it is.I quickly avert my gaze, not wanting him to know what's really bothering me.'Come on, pull it together. ' I mentally scold myself, trying to shake off these envious thoughts.I start to fidget with my hands, feeling the tension building inside. Rogue keeps looking at me, his eyes searching for the reason for my discomfort."You alright? You seem kinda off.." He asks, his voice filled with concern.I try to play it cool, forcing a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired, that's all."It's a weak excuse, but I'm not ready to open up about my true feelings, especially not to Rogue, who probably doesn't get what I'm feeling anyway.He looks at me skeptically, not completely buying my explanation."You sure?" Rogue presses, his worry evident in his voice.I bite the inside of my lip, mentally wishing he'd drop the subject. The pressure mounts as he keeps staring at me, waiting for a more convincing response."... Hah, yeah, I'm sure." I reply in a strained voice.'Please just drop it, I can't deal with this right now.' I silently plead. The last thing I need right now is Rogue poking around in my emotional state.Rogue doesn't look entirely convinced, but he finally relents and doesn't push it further."If you say so.. but, you know you can talk to me, right?" He says, his voice dropping to a softer, almost gentle tone.His unexpected kindness catches me off guard. I look up at him, meeting his sincere gaze.For a moment, I consider opening up to him, sharing the tangle of emotions I'm wrestling with right now. But as quickly as the thought appears, I push it away."I.. I know. Thanks." I answer quietly, appreciating his offer to listen. But I'm still not ready to bare my soul, not yet.Rogue seems to accept my response, understanding that there's more to my unease but also that I'm not ready to talk about it.He gives me a slightly encouraging smile and pats me on the shoulder."Alright. If you change your mind, don't hesitate to reach out, okay?" He says, trying to offer comfort.I nod silently, feeling a mix of gratitude and relief that he's not prying further.Even though it's a small gesture, just knowing he's there if I need to talk is a comfort. It makes the weight of my hidden emotions feel a little less heavy, somehow."We can ride the ferris wheel next! " Raven says happily as she still remains with Nero."Sure-- oh. I'm.. I'm gonna use the restroom." Nero says, slightly urgent as he feels the need to use the restroom."Ah, okay. I'll wait here." Raven says with a smile as Nero looks at her."Sure. " He replies before leaving her alone to wait and sit by the bench."Ooh! More good food. Want any?" Rogue suddenly exclaims as he points far off the stands he sees."I'm fine. You can go and get some though. I'll just rest here." I reply back softly."Ah, okay. I'll be right back." Rogue says before taking his time to go ahead to the stand.'Well, at least I'm left alone to observe Raven.' I think over as I look at Raven who is alone by the bench, quietly looking around the amusement park.As I continue to watch, part of me wishes I could go over and talk to her, to let her know how I feel. But the other part holds me back, knowing it would be selfish of me to disrupt her growing relationship with Nero."Wow, what a coincidence to find you here." A man stands before Raven and she looks up, surprised to see who it was.Much like me, I froze too as I realized who it was.'Axel?!' I internally panicked as I see one of the love interest with a smile on his face as he walks closer to Raven.TO BE CONTINUED