Emma stared at him, her mouth slightly agape. "You were that guy?"
For her, he was the boy who bullied her during third year, the one who made her school days just a little more confusing and aggravating.
"The very one," William replied with a mischievous grin. But for him, he was the boy she dumped—the one she didn't even realize had feelings for her.
The misunderstanding hung unspoken between them. William stepped aside this time, letting her pass with a smirk. As she brushed past him, he added with a teasing laugh, "And this time, you're not getting away so easily.
-------------
Emma barely remembered the drive home. It felt like teleporting—one moment she was leaving the office, the next she was pulling into her apartment parking spot. Her heart pounded the entire way, her mind a whirlwind of memories and realizations.
Slamming the car door shut, she dashed inside her apartment, not bothering to kick off her shoes. She went straight to her cabinet, the one where she kept her old school memorabilia. Frantically, she rummaged through the clutter until her hands landed on a dusty photo album. She flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning class pictures with growing urgency.
And then, there he was.
Standing in the back row of her third-year class photo, a goofy smile plastered across his face. His slightly messy hair, his cocky yet endearing posture—it all came flooding back.
Emma sank onto the floor, the album resting in her lap. The memories sharpened: It all started after her movie with Jerome. Liam, the boy who blocked her way to her seat in their class, standing silently in her path, raising an eyebrow at her like a challenge. Every time their eyes met in the classroom or hallway, he'd raise that same eyebrow, as if daring her to respond.
Back then, she had thought he was picking a fight with her. She even convinced herself he might be gay and jealous of Jerome—maybe he had a crush on the class president, and Emma's date had sparked some odd rivalry. It was the only explanation she could come up with at the time. After all, it wasn't like she could confront him. What would she say? "Stop raising your eyebrow at me"?
But now, looking at his face in the photo, she realized just how wrong she'd been.
She closed the album and sat there in stunned silence. She couldn't recall William ever asking her out in high school or even a single meaningful conversation they'd had Let alone her dumping him. Yet here he was, stirring up memories she hadn't thought of in years.
As Emma sat on the floor with the photo album still in her lap, her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the screen and saw a DM notification from William.
William: Just got home. Did you make it home safely too?
Emma stared at the message, her thumb hovering over the keyboard. What was she supposed to say? Her mind was still tangled in memories of high school and the whirlwind of the evening.
A few seconds passed, and another message appeared.
William: Would you be my girl?
Emma's eyes widened as more messages popped up, one after another.
William: Think about it: I'm smart, dependable, good-looking, and great company. Plus, I'm a fantastic kisser—you can't deny that.
Her lips twitched in amusement, but she still couldn't bring herself to reply. She kept staring at the screen, her thoughts running wild.
Another message popped up.
William: You're not ghosting me, are you?
That snapped her out of her daze. Quickly, she started typing.
Emma: You know, we just went on one date, and you're already asking me to be your girl?
The reply came almost immediately.
William: Why wait? We clearly have the hots for each other. Besides, we're not getting any younger. Why waste time? With a smike emoji at the end.
Emma: But I thought you were gay back then. You started "bullying" me right after my date with Jerome, so I figured you had a crush on him or something. And honestly, did we ever even talk in high school? I can't recall a single conversation.
There was a long pause before her phone lit up again—but this time, it wasn't another message. It was a call.
William.
She hesitated for a moment, then answered. "Hello?"
"I couldn't let that message slide," William said, his voice carrying a teasing edge. "First of all, bullying? Come on, I wasn't that bad."
Emma scoffed. "You raised your eyebrow at me like you wanted a fight every single day. What was I supposed to think?"
William laughed. "Fair enough. But let me tell you something you clearly don't remember." His voice softened slightly. "I called your house once. It was your nanny who picked up, and she yelled for you to come to the phone. I waited for thirty minutes. When you finally picked up, you sounded so annoyed."
Emma blinked. "Annoyed?"
"Completely," William said, mock hurt lacing his tone. "You asked, 'Who are you?' like we weren't classmates. When I told you it was me, Liam, you just said, 'So? What do you want?' I tried to talk, but your answers were so short, like you wanted to hang up immediately. Then I worked up the nerve to ask if I could court you." He paused dramatically.
Emma held her breath. "And?"
"And you flat-out said, 'No,' and hung up!"
Emma gasped. "I did not!"
"Oh, you did," William confirmed. "Do you have any idea how much courage it took for me to call you? I even drank two cans of beer beforehand just to steady my nerves!"
Emma laughed despite herself. Then a memory stirred. "Wait… during that time, prank calls were a thing at my house. Every other day after school, the phone would ring, and it was always for me. I thought it was some kind of joke!"
William sighed. "So, what I thought was a heartfelt confession was just lumped in with prank calls? Great."
"Hey, in my defense, I was a late bloomer," Emma said with a chuckle. "I wasn't thinking about love or boys. I was more interested in whether Sailor Moon would save the day or if Sakuragi could beat Rukawa in Slam Dunk."
William groaned. "Anime? I got rejected because of anime?"
Emma grinned. "It was a big deal back then."
There was a pause before William spoke again, his tone light but carrying a hint of nostalgia. "I guess I was no match for the Ice Princess."
"The Ice Princess?" Emma asked, her eyebrows furrowing.
"That's what we called you," William admitted. "You were cute, so fair-skinned you practically glowed, and you barely spoke. Always sitting there, quiet and composed. We never saw you study, but you were always in the top ten. You were untouchable, like an ice sculpture—beautiful, but impossible to approach."
"We?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, our circle," William replied casually.
"Oh, you mean the Bully Circle," Emma shot back, her tone laced with mock accusation.
William chuckled. "No, the group of cool kids who always failed class," he said with a grin.
They both burst into laughter, the tension melting away for a moment.
With a reluctant sigh, she finally said, "Yes."
There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before William's voice came through, triumphant and teasing. "I knew you couldn't resist me!"
Emma groaned. "You're impossible, you know that?"
"And you love it," William shot back without missing a beat. "So… what should our terms of endearment be?"
Emma blinked, completely thrown off. "What? Terms of endearment?"
"Yeah, you know," he said casually, "Babe, Honey, Love… or should I just call you mine?"
She rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt. "Seriously? We just—ugh, this is too much."
William chuckled, clearly enjoying her flustered reaction. "Fine. I've decided. I'm going with Babe. It suits you."
"Excuse me?" Emma sputtered. "You don't just decide these things!"
"I just did," he said with an audible grin. "Get used to it, Babe."
Emma let out an exasperated laugh, shaking her head even though he couldn't see it. "You're insufferable."
"And yet, here you are, agreeing to be my girl, babe" William quipped.
As the conversation began to wind down, William's voice turned casual but purposeful. "So, Babe, what are you doing tomorrow?"
Emma sighed. "Why? Are you planning on calling again"
"Not just calling" he corrected, his tone teasing. "I'm asking you out. A proper date this time. No 7/11 dinners, I promise."
Emma raised an eyebrow, even though he couldn't see it. "A proper date? You, the king of stinginess? What's the catch?"
William laughed. "No catch. Just a day of being together and a dinner at an actual restaurant. You know, the kind with chairs, menus, and waiters."
"I'll pick you up after 2 p.m.," William suggested confidently.
Emma frowned, curiosity piqued. "Where are we going?"
"It's a surprise," he answered, his tone teasingly cryptic.
Emma rolled her eyes. "Do you even know where to pick me up?"
William chuckled. "Waze, Babe. Technology's got me covered."
She let out an exasperated sigh. "Right. Let's hope technology also knows how to impress a girl."
"Trust me," he said smoothly, "you'll be impressed."
"We'll see," Emma replied, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. She wasn't sure what to expect, but with William, it was bound to be anything but ordinary.
"Goodnight, Babe. I love you."
Emma froze. "What? We're already at the I love you stage?"
"Wrong answer," William said, his voice playful. "You're supposed to reply with I love you more."
Emma shuddered, goosebumps crawling up her arms. "That is sooo cheesy."
"Let's try again," William insisted with mock seriousness. "Goodnight, Babe. I love you."
Emma smirked, refusing to play along. "Goodnight, William." She promptly hung up, cutting him off mid-laugh.
As Emma set her phone down, she couldn't help but shake her head at William's audacity. "Goodnight, Babe. I love you." Who says I love you so casually? It felt as if William treated it like a friendly handshake or a polite greeting, as simple as saying hello to a complete stranger.
For Emma, love was anything but casual. It was either a cliché—something people flaunted like a designer bag to make their lives seem more glamorous—or it was something monumental, a force so powerful it could move heavens and earth. The latter scared her because she'd seen it in her parents' love—a devotion so profound like her mothers love.
Love, in Emma's eyes, was not something to be taken lightly or thrown around like a pretty word.
But she wasn't particularly looking for love either. For Emma, relationships were more of a convenience than a necessity. She wasn't holding out for a hot prince or some knight in shining armor to sweep her off her feet. She had her priorities: her career, her independence, and her unconventional Baby Project. Love didn't factor into the equation, nor did she want it to.
William, on the other hand, seemed to view love as an everyday thing, woven effortlessly into life. It baffled her how he could say those words without hesitation, like they didn't carry the weight of the world.
Emma sighed, her fingers tracing the edge of her phone. Maybe she was overthinking it. Or maybe William had no idea what he was getting himself into with her. Either way, she wasn't about to say I love you—not yet, and maybe not ever. For her, love wasn't a fleeting phrase or a passing hello. It was either nothing at all or something so profound it could reshape her world. And until she knew what William's version of love truly meant, she was keeping her heart firmly out of it.
As she leaned back against her bed. Emma felt a small, traitorous smile tugging at her lips. Even if she wasn't seeking love or a prince, the thought of tomorrow—a new adventure with William—sparked a flicker of excitement. He might be cheesy, infuriatingly confident, and stingy at times, but there was no denying that he made her laugh and kept her on her toes.
Maybe tomorrow wouldn't be so bad, she thought as she closed her eyes. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was kind of looking forward to finding out what surprise he had in store.