The crush

Chapter 8: A Bittersweet Celebration

As August's birthday approached, Alice's heart was filled with excitement. She wanted to make his day special, to show him how much he meant to her. With this in mind, she decided to create a personalized gift—a video montage of his memories, something that would capture the essence of who he was and how much she cared for him.Alice started by gathering pictures of August. She managed to get some from her brother's laptop and a few more from his classmates' group photos. Each image she found felt like a treasure, a piece of the puzzle that would come together to form the perfect birthday gift. With each picture, her excitement grew, and she began to envision how the video would turn out.She spent hours on her phone, meticulously editing the video, selecting the perfect music, and arranging the photos to create a narrative that would touch his heart. But just as she was getting close to finishing, her phone’s display suddenly froze. Panic set in as she realized that all her hard work might be lost. Frustration and disappointment overwhelmed her, but Alice wasn’t one to give up easily. She took a deep breath, grabbed her old phone, and started over.It was a race against time, but she was determined to finish the video before midnight. Her fingers flew across the screen as she edited, the hours slipping away faster than she could keep track of. At last, the video was ready—just in time to wish him a happy birthday at 12:15 AM. With her heart pounding, she sent him the video and a heartfelt birthday message, hoping he would appreciate the effort she had put into making his day special.But as the minutes ticked by, the response she had been anxiously waiting for didn't come. When August finally replied, his response was brief and indifferent, far from the reaction Alice had hoped for. It was as if the gift she had poured her heart into meant nothing to him. A wave of sadness washed over her, and she couldn’t hold back her tears.Still, she wasn’t ready to give up. She decided to make his day special in another way. She gave her brother some money and asked him to buy a cake for August. She envisioned surprising him with it, hoping that this gesture might make up for his lackluster response to her video.However, when the moment came and she wished him again, this time with the cake, his reaction was no different. He barely acknowledged her effort, his words flat and lacking any real warmth. It was as though all the love and care she had tried to show him simply bounced off him, leaving her feeling more alone than ever.Alice couldn’t understand why he was being so distant, especially after everything she had done to make his birthday special. She had put her whole heart into celebrating him, but in return, all she felt was emptiness. The tears came again, this time stronger, as she realized that no matter how much she tried to make him happy, she couldn’t force him to appreciate her efforts or to feel the same way about her.The joy she had once felt in planning his birthday had now turned into a deep, aching sadness. The celebration that was supposed to bring them closer together had only highlighted the growing distance between them. Alice couldn’t help but wonder if she was holding onto something that would never truly be hers, a love that was one-sided and unreciprocated.That night, as she cried herself to sleep, the pain of his indifference cut deep. She wanted so desperately for him to see how much she loved him, but it seemed like no matter what she did, it was never enough. The birthday celebration that she had hoped would be a turning point in their relationship had instead become a painful reminder of the emotional gap between them.In the days that followed, the weight of this realization hung heavily on Alice’s heart. She knew she couldn’t keep giving so much of herself to someone who didn’t seem to care. Yet, despite the pain, she found it difficult to let go. Her love for August was still strong, but now it was tainted with the sting of his indifference, leaving her to wonder how much more her heart could take.