Golden Melody

Chapter 7

Miexha Verra

Her Pov

Three months.

Three months since that chaotic first day of school, since my life took a sharp turn.

Ron and I are officially a couple, a fact plastered across every news outlet, every social media feed.

The academy, our families, even the business circle knows.

The saddest part is, I've been avoiding Riel.

Thyron, my "boyfriend," doesn't want to see us together, out of respect for him, he claims.

He also forbade me from eating anything Riel cooks.
It's a cruel joke, a twisted form of control.

I always see Riel in front of my room, his eyes filled with a longing that breaks my heart.
He wants to say something, I know it, but I make excuses, invent reasons to avoid him.

I just cry everything out in bed, the tears a silent testament to the love I can't express, the pain I can't escape.

Now, Riel is courting Marie.
My best friend.
I still can't believe it.
I thought there was something between us, a connection that ran deeper than friendship.

But he confessed on our first day, his voice a low rumble, a confession that shattered my world.

"...with you." His answer to Marie's question, a simple declaration that echoed in my mind like a broken record.
It felt like a physical blow, a sharp, searing pain that ripped through my chest.

I remembered the way his eyes lit up when he looked at me, the way his voice softened when he spoke to me, the way his hand lingered on mine a beat too long.

It had all been my own assumptions, a cruel illusion.
I stumbled back, my legs weak, collapsing onto the bed, tears blurring my vision.
The pain was unbearable, a constant ache that mirrored the emptiness in my heart.

I thought back to the first time I saw him, his blonde hair tousled by the wind, his eyes a deep, mysterious blue that seemed to hold the secrets of the universe. His laughter that vibrated through my soul, filled me with a warmth I had never known.
His touch, a gentle caress on my arm, sent shivers down my spine.

I had never felt so alive, so seen.

And then, there was the day he kissed my cheek, his lips a feather-light touch that sent a jolt of electricity through my body. The scent of his cologne, a blend of lily and mint, lingered on my skin.

I had fallen for him, hard, without even realizing it.

But now, that dream was shattered, replaced by a crushing reality.

The person I loved, the person I thought loved me back, was in love with someone else.
The pain was overwhelming, a suffocating weight that threatened to crush me.

Maybe my decision to accept Ron was right.
He's sweet, always showering me with kisses, hugs, and gifts.
He's like the male lead in a romance novel, but why am I not feeling what a female leads should feel?

Throwback

Ron pulled me towards the poolside, his hand firm on my arm.
I let him, my mind replaying his words from last night, the way his voice had trembled as he confessed his love.

"Exy, I broke up with Lois."

"Ha? Eh?" I was caught off guard, my mind still reeling from the events last night.

"I already told you last night, I love you, I want you to be my girl. I won't rush you... If you want, let me be your suitor, I can w-w-wait." His voice was trembling, his eyes pleading.

He held both my hands, his touch warm and insistent, and kissed them gently.
I just looked at him, his face etched with a pain that mirrored my own.

He looked so depressed, and I? My mind was in chaos, I couldn't think straight.

I didn't want to see him like this.

What should I do?

I like Riel, scratch that, I love Riel.

I sighed, my gaze drifting to Thyron.
"You don't need to court me, don't do this anymo-" I said, but he stopped me by suddenly kneeling in front of me, his eyes filled with tears, his hands still holding mine.
I felt the dampness of his tears on my skin.

Please stop...

You're just my best friend...
But I couldn't say it out loud.
I was afraid it would ruin our friendship, the one thing that felt real and safe in this chaotic world.

"*hiiiing* Ex, please, *hiiiing* please, give me a chance to pro- *hiiiing*" Ron pleaded, his voice cracking with emotion.

I couldn't bear to see him like this, his vulnerability opposite to the confident image he usually projected.

I started to cry, my own tears blurring my vision.

"I know that you loved me, Ron, you don't have to prove it. Please sta-"

"EXY! Please, please"

I couldn't say what I wanted to say, he always cut me off, his desperation on a wall I couldn't break through.
He didn't want to hear me reject him.
What should I do?

I give up. Okay whatever I might go crazy

"Ok fine! If you want to be my boyfriend then just do it-!!"

I screamed, not from pain, but from shock.
Ron had dragged me into the pool, his arms wrapped around me.
He kissed me on the lips, his lips firm and insistent.

I couldn't breathe.

It was different from the feeling I had when Riel kissed my cheek, a gentle touch that had sent shivers down my spine.

Ron let go of me, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and hope. He helped me climb out of the pool, his hand warm and comforting against mine.

"Thank you, thank you, I'll do everything for you to realize that you love me."

The words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken promises.
I looked at him, my heart a tangled mess of emotions.

I didn't know what to say, what to do.
I was trapped in a web of my own making, a web of lies and unspoken truths, and I didn't know how to break free.

End of Throwback