“hm?” she hums, sitting up to reach for the chips. “oh?” so, they’re still on this topic. it was naive of her to think they’d simply brush over it. not every day your friend mentions having had a crush on you. “not done embarrassing me?” she rolls her eyes. it’s her own fault for ever bringing it up. alys starts munching away, setting her switch aside as she takes a moment to think about it.
“i mean, wouldn’t you crush on the hot pizza delivery guy if you were me? why do you think i ordered so much pizza when we first met?” oh, she’s so sure his coworkers knew about her crush. “i’d always request you to be my delivery guy. didn’t you think it was weird?” he really had no clue. “you never seemed to notice – or, well, notice me. like that, i mean. we became friends and grew close …” she trails off. it hurt. thinking about it. a little, though. heartbreak’s inevitable with every crush, isn’t it?
“i guess i kinda forgot all about the crush along the way. it didn’t last long. we became best friends, so…” she shrugs, a small smile on her face. “i can’t imagine us any other way. i really cherish what we have ryou. i really do love you.”
“ am i ever done embarrassing you ? nah. “ he chuckles , though softer than usual. curiosity got ahold of him , despite knowing the uncomfortable vibes & feelings it brought. hands grab onto a pillow , hugging it over his stomach while listening to her as he walks around in aimless circles on acnh.
somehow it hits different being called hot by alys of all people. it feels strange but not in a bad way , which is one of his many concerns as of now. uh oh ... the sappy’s getting to him , he finds her confession a hard pillow to swallow; despite asking for it.
in the end-- he’d just been playing her too after all. come to think of it; at some point , maybe ryou had actually had a small inkling about the crush deep down. but much like all his other problems , he’d ignore it until it went away. though this one he did feel regret & guilt over dealing with this way.
“ ... i do too. “ ryou smiles back , casually tucking away blonde strands behind her ear though on second thought realized he maybe should’ve kept his distance. he lied down in bed close but not right next to her. “ & what made you say it now , out of all times ? “