This is probably the fastest I have ever updated, which I'm very happy about. I want to thank the two new followers/favorite-ers of this story: it means a lot that new people are starting to read this and that people are still following this story; it inspires me to keep writing. I don't think this is my best chapter, but I really tried.

I hope you enjoy.

After several moments of silence pass and nothing happens, I slowly loosen my fists and force my eyes open. I catch sight of Jun and can't believe my eyes. My heart stops.

He's...laughing. And…crying?

The tension suddenly rushes out of my body to be rapidly replaced by apprehension and utter confusion. Why is he laughing? Or crying? Or whatever strange reaction he's having right now? Things always stop making sense when Jun gets involved, but I don't even know how to respond to this. I just poured my fragile, crusty, little heart out to him—I told him one of my biggest secrets, and I don't even think he's taking me seriously. It takes a second but eventually, it hits me: I told him I love him…and he laughed. The realization is a sharp stab that pierces my chest and aches more than I ever thought it could. My hands shoot up to my red eyes, and I try to wipe away all of my tears. I can tell that my eyes are starting to get puffy, and I shove them further into the long, dark sleeves of my jacket. Unfortunately, it seems as though my tear ducts are fighting against me; every time I get close to drying the river that continues to run down my reddening face, a new stream of tears begins, and I'm forced to start all over.

I can hear Jun's boisterous laughter slowly begin to die, and he takes a few quick breaths to replenish his supply of oxygen. I wipe my eyes more vigorously, even though I know that I have no chance of drying them and that all I'm doing is irritating them and making them a brighter shade of red. As I press the soft fabric of my sleeves against my eyes, I try to cover as much of my face as possible. I feel like an idiot. I wish I could just disappear into my warm jacket forever and pretend I don't feel the cold pain of the knife Jun just thrusted into my heart. I'm so wrapped up in self-pity that I can't even run away. I want to be as far away from here as humanly possible right now, but the most I can get my legs to do is stand.

As I hear the bed across from me creak from the sudden absence of Jun's weight, I bury my face as far into my sleeves as I can manage and simply wait for the next blow.

I'm somewhat surprised by the warmth I suddenly feel as his long arms wrap around me in a tight embrace. I don't move, so he grips me a bit more strongly, pulling me as close to him as he can. "I'm sorry, Hikari. I didn't mean that," he murmurs into my hair. I can tell he's sincere, which just twists the knife in my chest. He didn't mean to laugh at my confession, and he's honestly sorry that he hurt my feelings, but I guess he couldn't help it; the idea of us being together was just too preposterous.

I wait until my sobs lighten a bit before attempting to choke out a response. "It's okay," I lie softly, taking shaky breaths between words. "It hurts a little that you laughed, but I understand. It's silly, right?" I try to plaster a small, fake smile onto my face, but I doubt it's convincing.

"What?" he suddenly asks, pushing us apart. I'm a little shocked he could hear me through my arms and his chest, but I waste little time in telling him that he doesn't have to be nice or fake anything for my sake. "You don't understand," he replies, shaking his head. "I didn't laugh at your confession. Okay, well, I did, but not because of why you think. I love you, 'Kari! I have since we were kids. I thought you knew how I felt and that's why you were running. Never in a million years did I think you'd ever feel the same way about me. I couldn't help it—everything lined up too perfectly, and I was taken by surprise so I laughed!"

It takes me a few long moments to process the information he has just thrown at me. I'm not sure I believe him, but by the time it registers, I've finally become able to form a coherent sentence again. "Did you really have to laugh so hard you started to cry?" I inquire, still slightly upset with his reaction.

"I didn't laugh so hard I started to cry. I was crying for an entirely different reason." I raise my eyebrow at him in question, and he sighs deeply before continuing. "I couldn't believe that I'd ever let you think I didn't love you or not notice how much pain you were in. It just kind of hit me that I caused all of this, you know? And when I saw you crying, I started crying, too. I'm sorry." He lowers his deep orange eyes down to mine, and I give him a light smile.

"It's okay," I assure him, my voice still rough from crying, "I know you didn't mean to." He stares at me for a minute, looking rather relieved, before his eyes narrow. "What?" I question, curious at his sudden shift in mood.

"You don't believe me."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't believe me. When I told you I love you, you didn't believe me."

"Jun…"

"Don't 'Jun' me, Hikari! Why don't you believe me?"

"It's just…" I begin, struggling to explain, "…it's just hard to believe. You're a nice guy, and we've been friends forever, so you could easily just be trying to be nice." I realize how stupid the words sound as soon as they leave my mouth, and I cringe, knowing they'll anger Jun.

"Really, Hikari?" Knew it. "I'm not that nice of a guy. I couldn't fake loving someone just to avoid hurting their feelings!"

"I know," I say, sighing, "and you're not that kind of guy. But it just…feels surreal, you know?" I glance up at Jun, and he's giving me a look that says, 'tell me about it.' I smile a little at that.

"I do love you," he insists, softly gripping my arms. I nod in response, knowing that saying anything that could imply something to the contrary would be suicide. He huffs out a heavy exasperated sigh as he leans his head on my shoulder. "One day, you'll believe it," he adds almost inaudibly. I can only hope he's right as I stretch my arms up and wrap them around him in a hug, attempting to immerse myself in him. His soothing warmth, slightly woodsy scent, and comforting presence all reinforce the idea that this is some kind of incredibly realistic dream. Jun has accepted my feelings and even said that he reciprocates them, which is more than I could ever ask for. This dream is painfully beautiful, and I truly dread its end.

Obviously, there are still some conflicts that have yet to be resolved. I'm sorry if it's somewhat annoying that Jun has finally told her he loves her and she doesn't believe him, but I feel that it's pretty realistic. I really want to explain Jun's background and perspective, but I feel like the only way I could really do that would be by writing from his perspective, and I'm not sure I could pull that off. I also think it would sort of ruin the pattern of the chapters. I'm still considering it, though. What do you guys think?