Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
The Tiger or the Jaguar
Not the Same
(Theo's POV)
Casey had been gone for about a week now, and I could tell that Lily really missed him. She hadn't quite been herself ever since he left. It was almost like when he left, he took a part of her with him. She was definitely not the same.
"Hey Lil, did you give any more thought to what we last talked about?" I asked.
"You mean did I figure out who I have feelings for?" she replied.
I gave an affirmative nod. I braced myself for the worst case scenario in the event that it should happen.
"I can't answer that right now. I know I miss Casey. I'm not sure if it's because I have feelings for him though," she explained.
"Have you called him since he left?" I questioned.
"I did once, but as soon as he answered, I hung up."
Just from her tone of voice alone, I could tell Lily was not the same. She wasn't her usual bubbly, energetic, fun-loving self. She never wanted to shoot hoops with me anymore. When she wasn't at work, and even when she was at work, she would usually just mope around.
I mustered up courage I didn't even know I possessed, and decided to tell Lily how I really felt about her.
"Lily, I love you. I think I always have. I've just been too shy to ever say anything to you. I don't just love you as my best friend either. It's more than that. Even if you don't love me back, I just wanted to let you know how I feel about you," I spouted out talking three times faster than my normal talking speed.
There were butterflies in my stomach that felt more like pterodactyls. My palms were all sweaty. My breath was hitched in my throat. My pulse increased rapidly as I eagerly awaited her response.
She made like she was going to respond on at least three separate occasions, only for her to decide against it. I could practically see the gears turning in her head as she contemplated how best to respond to me. It was rather disheartening that it took her so long.
"Too long," I commented out loud.
"What?" she responded.
"If you loved me, you would have said so by now, but you didn't."
"Theo, I don't know what to say."
"It's okay. You can't help who you fall in love with, right?"
I left Lily alone in the kitchen. I just wanted to go to a corner, curl up in a fetal position, and sulk. I couldn't believe I made a fool out of myself like that.
Maybe if I had told her how I felt about her sooner, like before Casey even entered the equation, then maybe things would have turned out differently.
To Be Continued…