You Stole My Heart

Chapter 4: A Truth Hidden by a Lie

*"A love built on truth is like a sunrise—warm, bright, and never fading. But love hidden behind lies is like a candle in the wind—beautiful, but too fragile to last."* 

In my hurry, I accidentally bumped into two men who were also rushing. The impact hit both my shoulders, and the sudden pain kept me frozen in place for a moment. But it wasn't just my shoulders that collided-before I knew it, I had spun around and crashed straight into someone's chest.

**Did I just get sandwiched?!**

"Ouch!" I groaned.

The two guys quickly stepped back, while Gwenn immediately came to help me. As she picked up the books I had dropped, I glanced at the two men-and I recognized one of them. I had seen him before.

"Cami, are you okay?" Gwenn asked, concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I assured her.

The guy I recognized scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh, I think I've seen you before, but... sorry about that. I wasn't prepared for you to suddenly turn like that."

"Ean, right?" I asked.

His eyes widened slightly. "Yeah... How do you know my name?"

"I just overheard it," I replied casually.

The other guy, who had also bumped into me, spoke up. "Miss, I'm really sorry too. You had your back turned, so I didn't see you. My bad."

"It's fine. No worries," I reassured them.

After that, Gwenn and I walked away.

"Hey, Cami, do you know that guy?" Gwenn asked curiously.

"Yeah. I saw him before when I peeked inside the third-year classroom," I admitted.

Gwenn smirked. "Wait a minute... Why were you peeking? Were you stalking someone?"

"What?! No way, bestie! I'm not a stalker!" I defended myself.

"Then why were you looking inside?" she pressed, grinning mischievously.

I hesitated for a moment before finally confessing, "Because I have a crush."

Gwenn gasped dramatically. "What?! Seriously? Who is it?"

"Austin Maurer," I answered.

Her expression froze as soon as she heard the name.

"You like Austin?" Gwenn asked, staring at me in disbelief.

"You know him?" I asked in return.

"Of course, I do! I know him **very** well!" she said excitedly, grabbing my hands. "He transferred to our school back in elementary after you left. We became friends back then!"

"Really? That makes me so happy!" I said, grinning. "But, Gwenn, there's something I really need to tell you."

"What is it?" she asked.