Missed Opportunities

(C3) | Just Like a Sister

It him like a ton of bricks. Did he hear that right? Did she just say no? No matter how hard Marshall tried to block out the sound of her rejection, that one word echoed in his mind, causing his heart to sink further than it already has now. And it's not like it was even better for Everest. Before, she saw how happy and nervous the Dalmatian pup was when he was confessing his feelings to her. And then she had to break his heart. It hurt every part of the husky to reject him, but Everest knew that she couldn't lead him on. She had to be honest with him, even though it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"...I... B-But... I-I don't... I don't understand..." Marshall began, his voice barely holding together as tears welled up in his eyes.

Seeing the once happy Dalmatian now so heartbroken made Everest's own heart ache. She couldn't bear to look at him in that moment, as she could feel herself beginning to tear up. Not from rejecting a friend, but from hurting a friend, something she hated.

"...D-Did... Did I-I... Did I do something w-wrong?" He choked between sobs.

"N-No! Y-You didn't do anything," Everest said softly, trying to keep her voice steady.

"It's just... I-It's... It's not you, Marshall. I...I just don't feel the same way about you. Y-You... You are the sweetest, most caring, and best friend anyone could ever ask for. Yo-You're even like a brother to me. B-But... I-It's just..."

"J-Just what!?" He asked, unable to control his flowing tears.

"...i-It's just that... I... I don't see you in the way you see me. W-We... We just don't have anything in common..."

"H-Huh? B-But we do! W-We like... Uh... Yo-You like... You like l-liver treats, a-and I-I like..."

Marshall was frantically searching for something to say, his heart breaking with each passing moment. But Everest only put a paw on top of his, causing him to stop and look up at the beautiful blue eyes he fell in love with in the first place.

"...Please, Marshall. Please don't make this harder than it has to be," she said softly, her soothing voice barely above a whisper.

"...B-But I... I love you, Everest..."

"I know. A-And I'll always love you too, Marshall. H-Hopefully... Hopefully we can still be friends," she added, while reaching out a paw to gently touch his shoulder, but he flinched away, causing her to slowly pull back in sadness.

Marshall knew he had to let her go, even though it felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He can't force her into something she doesn't want. It's a very hard pill to swallow, but he knew it was the right thing to do for both of them.

"...I...I-I understand..." He said, his voice barely audible.

"...Thank you, Marshall... F-For being so understanding. I-I hope the next pup you come across is lucky enough for you to see her the way you see me," she whispered.

She was going to walk up to the pup and lick him on the cheek, but after him moving away from her touch a few seconds ago, she decided not to go for it, even though she ached to show him affection. Instead, she gave him a weak smile and turned to leave.

And with that, she began walking away slowly, but not without glancing back to see Marshall fall to the sand, crying his eyes out. After she was out of view, she began to let the tears she'd been holding back start to fall freely down her cheeks. Hurting someone she deeply cared about was something she never thought she would do, but at the same time, she knew she had made the right decision for both of them, but it didn't make it any easier to see Marshall in so much pain.