We didn't tell anyone.
Not yet.
It was too soon, too fragile. Like blowing on a candle before the wax could harden. And besides… something about keeping it to ourselves made it feel more real more ours.
Saturday came, and with it, a soft gray sky and a thousand silent excuses to run away together.
We took the train out of town not far, just a few stops away to a quiet riverside park lined with sakura trees just beginning to bloom.
Rose wore a pale beige jacket and tied her hair back with a black ribbon. She looked… timeless. Like something out of a dream I didn't want to wake from.
I don't think I ever smiled as much as I did that day.
And I don't think I ever noticed how beautiful it felt to be looked at the way she looked at me now.
Like I wasn't invisible anymore.
We sat on a bench near the river, sharing a drink and a bag of melon bread. Our knees touched, and neither of us pulled away. Not even when an elderly couple passed by holding hands.
"I keep thinking someone will see us," Rose whispered, laughing quietly.
"Let them."
"You say that like it's easy."
"It is. When it's you."
She looked at me then really looked. And I saw it again. That flicker of fear in her eyes. Like a girl walking into a room full of mirrors for the first time, unsure if the reflection is really hers.
"I'm still scared, Kellie," she admitted.
"I'll wait," I said simply.
She nodded. "I know."
But not everything stayed quiet.
Because we weren't alone in the world, and secrets especially the kind that glow like that don't stay hidden for long.
Monday morning, Hana was waiting by the shoe lockers.
She didn't smile when she saw me.
"Hey," she said. "Got a minute?"
I paused, then nodded. "Sure."
We walked a few steps away, to the edge of the hall where it was quiet.
"I saw you two this weekend," she said. "At the riverside."
I didn't speak.
"I figured something was going on," Hana continued, arms crossed. "But I didn't think you'd actually"
She stopped herself.
"She's different with you now," she said. "I've been trying to be her friend. Maybe more. But I think you already took the part of her I was hoping to reach."
"Hana…"
"I'm not mad," she said quickly. "I mean I am. But not at you. I'm just... sad. That I never had a chance."
She looked at me then, something soft and honest in her eyes.
"Take care of her," she said. "Because she doesn't fall easily. And if she's falling for you… that means something."
Then she turned and walked away.
And for a second, I stood there feeling both weightless and heavy.
I found Rose on the rooftop later that day.
She looked up as I came near. "What's wrong?"
"Hana knows."
Her face stiffened. "What did she say?"
"She said to take care of you."
Rose exhaled. "Then maybe it's time."
"For what?"
"For us to stop hiding."