UNLOVED? or be loved?

Chapter 7:Breaking the Silence

                            Lily Serafina-

Lily walked beside Jake, her mind buzzing with a million thoughts as the silence stretched between them. It wasn't uncomfortable, not exactly, but it was heavy with unspoken words. She stole a glance at him, wondering what he was thinking. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his jacket, and his gaze was fixed ahead, but there was a hint of something in his expression that made her wonder.

Jake had said it so casually earlier, like it was no big deal. I've been noticing you for a while now. The words echoed in her head, over and over, making her heart race every time she thought about them. What did he mean by that? Had he really been watching her, paying attention to her, this whole time? She wasn't used to being noticed. At all.

She took a deep breath, feeling her nerves swirl in her chest, but decided she couldn't leave it hanging any longer. If she didn't ask now, it would eat away at her.

"Jake?" she said quietly, her voice breaking the silence between them.

"Yeah?" He turned to look at her, his warm brown eyes curious but relaxed.

"What did you mean earlier?" she asked, her heart pounding in her ears. She kept her gaze on the ground, unable to meet his eyes directly. "When you said... you'd been noticing me for a while?"

Jake seemed to freeze for a moment, like her question had caught him off guard. He glanced away, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as if he was trying to figure out how to explain himself. "Oh... that," he said, his tone light, but there was a hint of nervousness underneath.

Lily nodded, waiting for him to continue, her hands fidgeting slightly at her sides.

Jake scratched the back of his neck, a habit she was beginning to notice when he was feeling a little awkward. "I didn't mean to, like, freak you out or anything," he said, his voice soft but sincere. "It's just... I guess I've been paying attention to you more than you might've thought."

Lily's heart skipped a beat. Paying attention to me? She glanced up at him, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Why?"

Jake laughed softly, though it wasn't mocking. More like he was laughing at himself. "I don't know," he admitted, his voice quieter now. "I guess you stood out to me. You're... different. In a good way."

Lily's chest tightened at his words, her pulse quickening. Different? She didn't know if she believed that. She had always felt like she faded into the background, like no one really saw her. But Jake had. He had noticed.

"You're always so quiet," Jake continued, his tone thoughtful as he looked at her. "But not in a way that makes you seem distant. You just... you seem like you're thinking about a lot. Like there's more going on with you than what people see." He paused, then added, "I guess I wanted to get to know you better. Figure out what you're really like."

Lily felt her face warm, unsure how to respond. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. She was so used to being the quiet girl in the background, the one people barely noticed. But Jake had noticed her, had wanted to know her.

"I didn't think anyone really saw me," she admitted quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jake looked at her, his expression softening. "I see you, Lily," he said, his voice gentle but firm. "I've always seen you."

Lily's breath caught in her throat. His words made her heart feel like it was soaring and sinking all at once, a strange, exhilarating feeling she wasn't used to. She wasn't sure what to say, wasn't sure how to express what this meant to her.

"I just didn't think you'd ever notice someone like me," she said, her voice almost shaky.

Jake stopped walking, turning to face her fully now. His expression was serious, his gaze locked on hers. "Why wouldn't I?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine confusion. "You're smart, kind... and yeah, maybe you're quiet, but that's not a bad thing. There's something about you, Lily, something I can't explain. But it's been there since the first time I saw you."

Lily's heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest. She didn't know how to process all of this. Jake, the boy everyone liked, the one who always seemed so confident and outgoing, had been watching her, thinking about her. And not just as some passing interest—but really seeing her.

"I didn't think... I mean, I don't usually..." Lily stumbled over her words, trying to make sense of her own emotions. "I don't think of myself as someone people would notice."

Jake's expression softened even more, and he took a small step closer to her. "Well, you're wrong about that," he said quietly, his voice steady and sincere. "I notice you. And I've wanted to talk to you for a long time... I just never had the guts."

Lily blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. "You... were nervous to talk to me?"

Jake laughed softly, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Yeah. Weird, right?" He smiled, a little self-deprecating. "I don't usually get nervous, but with you... I guess I didn't want to mess it up."

Lily felt something warm bloom in her chest. The idea that Jake, the confident, funny guy who seemed to have it all together, had been nervous to talk to her—it made her feel special in a way she hadn't felt before. Like maybe, just maybe, she was worth noticing after all.