Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Just be gentle with her," Mrs. Levine added, a hint of concern in her voice. "She's been a bit overwhelmed lately."

"Yeah, okay," Jonathan replied with a touch of impatience creeping into his tone. He climbed the stairs as irritation bubbled beneath the surface.

He reached her door and knocked softly, but his annoyance was creeping in. "Laura? It's me, Jonathan."

But there was only silence.

"Can I come in?" he called, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Yeah, sure... come in," came her muffled response, but it felt more like a reluctant invitation than an enthusiastic one.

Jonathan sighed, opening the door and stepping inside.

"What's up with you? It's my birthday, we should be celebrating," he asked, his irritation clear.

Laura let out a tired sigh, turning her back to him. "Yeah..." she mumbled weakly. "Your gift is on my study table." She didn't look at him as she spoke, but Jonathan couldn't care less about the gift. What bothered him was his pouting childhood friend, the one he'd known forever who was now distant, worrying him more than he liked to admit.

"Laura..." he sighed again, softer this time, placing a hand on her shoulder, trying to get her to face him. "Tell me what's wrong," he almost pleaded, his voice lowering. The love he had for her as a friend was undeniable.

"Please..."

Laura stole a glance at him as the weight of the moment pressed down on her. With another sigh, she finally sat up, which brought a small, relieved smile to his face. But that relief was short-lived. Her next words hit him like a punch he hadn't seen coming.

"I like you, Jonathan. Ever since I learned what love is and saw you as someone I wanted to spend my life with... I... I fell in love with you."

The confession stunned him, catching him completely off guard. For the first time in their long friendship, Jonathan was speechless. He had no idea how to respond.

Jonathan's silence stretched on, and with every second, Laura felt her heart shatter a little more. She knew exactly what that silence meant—he didn't feel the same.

With an awkward laugh, she forced herself to shrug off her own confession, her throat tightening as she fought back tears. "B-but... y-you know... I'm not forcing you or anything. I just... I just wanted to let you know. Don't feel burdened by my... c-confession," she stammered, unable to meet his eyes.

She had always known there was a high chance—no, a certainty—that he wouldn't reciprocate her feelings. But the thought of never telling him, of bottling it up forever, had been unbearable. So she told him, knowing full well what his silence would mean. And now, all she could do was cover up the pain with excuses.

"You should go grab the gift," she said, her voice faltering as she fidgeted, trying to distract herself. "And get some sleep. I—"

But before she could finish, Jonathan's hands shot up, gently cupping her face, and without warning, he kissed her. Deeply. For the first time.

Laura froze, her mind spinning. 

This is real. He's kissing me.

It wasn't just some fleeting, hesitant peck—it was a real kiss, one filled with a depth and intensity she hadn't expected. And for the first time in her life, the man she had loved for so long was holding her like she had always dreamed.

Laura who taken aback for only a moment, found herself responding to his kiss while her heart began racing. She melted into the moment, feeling the years of bottled-up emotions pour into that single, unexpected kiss. For a brief second, everything felt right, like her deepest wish had come true.

But inside Jonathan's head, there was turmoil. Fear gripped him and tightened around his chest like a vice. 

What am I doing? 

His mind screamed, even as his lips pressed more firmly against hers. He feared if he didn't react the way she wanted, he'd lose her. 

Lose her forever.

Because the truth was, he did love her—he loved her deeply. But not the way she wanted. Not in the way she deserved. To him, Laura was his best friend, the person who had always been there, a constant in his life. Just a friend. Nothing more.

Yet the kiss... the kiss felt too perfect. Her warmth, the softness of her lips—it felt right—and that scared him even more. He found himself drawing nearer, caught in the intensity of it all, momentarily lost. But deep down, he knew this was wrong, that he wasn't kissing her out of love or passion, but out of a fear of losing the one person who had been there almost his whole life.

What happens next? 

The thought hovered in his mind, nagging at him, but Jonathan pushed it aside, letting the moment carry them both further than he intended. Laura's hands clung to him, and he found himself sinking deeper into the intensity of the kiss, the closeness between them becoming electric. Every rational thought slipped away, leaving only the heat of the moment.

Before either of them could grasp how far it had gone, they found themselves in a blur of discarded clothes, tangled limbs, and whispered breaths. Jonathan hovered over her, his heart pounding in his chest, but the weight of what was happening didn't hit him until it was too late.

And the next thing they knew, they were both unclothed, tangled in each other's warmth, a boundary crossed that neither of them could take back.

The night Jonathan spent with her became the most precious memory Laura held in her heart and mind. To her, it was the moment she had longed for—a night where her love was finally reciprocated. His touch, his closeness, felt like the answer to all her silent prayers. She allowed herself to be vulnerable, to be completely devoured by him, showing him through every embrace and every kiss just how deeply she loved him. In her mind, this was the moment her feelings had finally reached him, that everything between them would change.

But little did she know, it was a night she would soon wish to forget. What felt like love to her, was something far more complicated, far more painful, than she could ever imagine. The memory she cherished would soon turn into one she'd want to erase—because the truth behind that night would shatter her.