As I gazed out the rear window, I saw the most gorgeous crimson sunset I could ever see in a lifetime. It radiated into the car, making it seem as if the sun was setting in the car. Now would be the best moment to confess. But that will have to wait. I’m not there yet. Not now, of course.

The cab passed by some trees: Sweetgum…Black gum…Dogwood…Red maple…Autumn Blaze Maple…and Red Oak, her favourite. She’d always go on and on about it when Autumn came. It was the only tree that meant something to her. Her mother used to bring her to a

Red Oak and they’d sit and talk about the things they loved, hated, wanted, and her mother would tell her stories sometimes. But now her mother was gone. She had passed away in a devastating car crash, and she would always tear up whenever she talked about a Red Oak.

As the car stopped to a halt, I thanked the driver and got off the car. The breezing wind brushed past my skin as I stepped out of the cab. Then, I found my way to where she was. After walking for awhile, I stopped. There, infront of me, was the most pleasant looking girl, the one I had been waiting for, the one I was going to confess to…her.

She was beautiful, in the most jaw dropping black flowy dress. As I stared at her in awe, she suddenly started to talk.

“Soo uhh…what were you gonna tell me again?” She said with a decent tone. To others, it was just a girl who asked a simple question. But to me, the sound of her voice sounded like a beautiful song, mellifluous, a song that I had been waiting for ages to hear. My favourite song. I didn’t answer, just stood there, admiring her, and I couldn’t help but tuck a string of hair behind her ear. It felt amazing.

“I like you, Valeria.” I said without hesitation.

“Oh, I like you too as a bestie!” She replied cheerfully. She didn’t get it.

“What I meant to tell you was…I…I have been-“ The words got caught in my throat. I didn’t know what or how to say it. ‘I have loved you since we were kids.’ No. ‘I have an unbreakable love for you.’ No, too weird. ‘I don’t know how to say this..But I love you, Valeria, with all my heart.’ Urmm…No, too long. ‘I know we’ve been friends for a long time now, but I thought maybe we could be.. you know.. more than that?’ Oh my lord, ofc not.

“You have been..?”

“I love you.” I blurted. Shit. Why. Did. I. Say. That.

“I…” She choked on her words. Nothing had made her so upset and shocked in her life, I could tell by the look on her face. Her eyes grew wider and wider each second, and her jaw dropped as low as it could go, but there was also a small part of her that was upset. And so was I. Something was wrong. I could feel it. The sun had already set to a street of darkness with cars driving down the street.

Suddenly, in the midst of the silence, a man in a black jacket and long dark jeans came walking down the street towards Valeria, with three cones of Ice cream in his hands. “Heyyy, honey, I bought Ice cream for everyone! Chocolate chip, how you like it.” He said with a cheerful chuckle in his voice. “Was this the friend you were talking about?”

“Aww thanks darling! You didn’t have to. And yes this was him.” She replied with a smile on her face. It was as if nothing had happened.

“Yooo, hey dude! Nice to meet you!” He shook my hand while greeting me with the most sincere smile spreading across his face. “Valeria has been talking about you for awhile now, and I thought maybe I should’ve met you! Oh, and-“ He handed me one of the ice cream in his hands. Butterscotch ice cream topped with sprinkles, my favourite. “This is for you! She told me about your fav ice cream flavour, so I got you this. I hope you like it!”

“Thanks man.” I said. I looked at them in shock. She had…a boyfriend…? This information caught me off guard. Thinking about this made me more and more upset, confused and frustrated all at the same time. This had to be a dream…right? I took a bite out of my ice cream and swallowed it a bit too quickly, allowing my head to freeze and hurt for a few minutes, before turning my attention to the both of them once again. They looked like one of those typical couples’ you’d see on the street. They hugged each other, giggled together, talked to each other, and they kissed each other on the cheek…kiss on the cheek…

The thought of this made me want to vomit even more.

“I.. I need to go now.” I said in a rush.

“Aww, fr man? I’ve just known you for 5 minutes, and you’re leaving already?”Her boyfriend sighed.

“Sorry dude. Maybe another time.” My hands started to tremble. Why is it shaking? I looked at my hands. Just stop shaking already! “I-I just remembered! I have an important assignment due tonight! I need to get back and finish it before I hand it in. See you guys another time!” I said frantically, and then I turned and sprinted down the street, face full of tears as I ran.