Imaginary Friend

Chapter 22 - Celia's Sorrow and Jack's Realization

Celia's Point of View

I was left standing there, the sweet scent of the cherry blossoms surrounding me. Yet, nothing seemed sweet in the moment. I can't believe I confessed my true feelings to my best friend of 9 years! I had worked up so much courage to tell Jack about my feelings for him and somehow, I a small part of me believed that he might reciprocate the feelings. When I finally told him, I thought the scene was perfect! The cherry blossoms, the baby blue sky, the music playing in my head. It was like everything was resolving itself and this was our happily ever after. But I guess..I dreamed too much. It wasn't a happily ever after at all.

After I told him, he ran away. First, he got this surprised look on his face, then he looked as if he were going to say something, but he looked at me one more time and ran away from me. I looked out in the distance, the cherry blossoms gently falling on the floor, the song in my head ending. This wasn't how I wanted it to go. I just got my best friend back and I chased him away again. I reached my hand out for him, but he had vanished and now I could only see the cherry blossom trees. I retraced my hand to put it over my heart. I looked down at the floor, seeing a single cherry blossom in front of me. The wing was blowing in my hair as I pathetically fell to my knees, picking up the cherry blossom. It only reminded me of Jack.

I let out my pain in gentle sobs, my tears falling onto the cherry blossom. It flew away, back to the wind, and I continued to cry. Another song was playing in my head, but it was not a song of hope. It was a song that expressed all my feelings and emotions. The song of unrequited love and loss. It wasn't enough that he didn't love me back, but I had also lost Jack again. This was all my fault, though. I shouldn't have opened up to him, I shouldn't have gotten this involved with him. I never thought I'd grow to love anybody the way I love Jack. I guess my heart went ahead of my thoughts and decided to fall in love. Everything stopped around me as I slowly lifted my head up, my eyes watery and my face covered in tears.

I wiped away the remaining tears, new ones appearing and cascading down my face. I got up, my knees a bit scratched and red from falling on the ground. How could I have let this happen? How could I have let leave me here alone again? How could I have chased him away again? I turned around, facing the opposite direction in which Jack went. It seemed like a new direction for me, one without my best friend and one that would make me have to forget him. After pondering over whether I should go after Jack or just leave him be, I realized that he had made his choice. To run away was his choice. To reject me was his choice. Now, I had to make my own. I put out my foot and started in the other direction. I started to walk back to my house, my spirits crushed and my love unrequited. 

Jack's Point of View

I stopped running. I had reached the park, also filled with cherry blossoms. Springtime was truly beautiful, especially when you got to enjoy it with someone. I did have someone to enjoy it with, but I ran from her again. I was just so shocked when she confessed to me. I didn't know how to respond. My head was filling up with all these thoughts, making my brain unable to work with. Soon, those thoughts were overwhelming me to the point where I just had to run away. I'm such a coward, I can't even face my own thoughts. I'd say it wasn't my fault, but really it was. 

I sat down on a park bench, my head much clearer than before. I was out of breath, so I put my hand over my heart and sighed, looking down at the ground. Suddenly, I saw a single cherry blossom breeze right past me and land at my feet. It looked wet, as if someone had been crying on it. My eyes went wide and I stood up, remembering the cherry blossoms that surrounded Celia and I when we had that moment. That moment were a song played in both of our heads, that moment when she had worked up the courage to tell me her true feelings for me. The moment where I had left her again out of fear of making a wrong decision, somehow. It just seemed so childish of me to run away from her again. 

When she said those three little words, I just couldn't get over myself. A couple months ago, I would've just brushed it off like she only said it because she was my best friend. But now, it was different. I was more awkward and flustered around her recently, and she had been the same with me. I tried harder and harder to please her and every time I saw her, my heart would start to flutter and butterflies would release in my stomach. My eyes widened as I finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together. My being flustered around her, my heart beating faster when she arrived, everything about her being wonderful, my eyes sparkling whenever she came into the room, feeling such emotions for her and wanting her to be happy. The fact that I had wanted to stay real only so that I could be there for her. I now know what I felt back then and what I feel today. 

Love.

I love Celia.

I can't believe I could've been so blind to her emotions..and so blind to mine. The tear-stained cherry blossom was probably hers. She probably was back there, crying her eyes out because of me. Again. I put my hands in my head, wanting everything to resolve itself. But it wasn't going to until I took a step first. I needed to reach Celia and tell her my true feelings for her. I sat back down on the bench, thinking of where Celia possibly could be. She was on her way home currently, if she left soon after I did. I could still catch her before she shut me out of her life forever. I stood up, my hair dripping wet, a huge smile on my face. I started running like I never had run before. I was probably going faster than a bullet train. The only focus in my mind right now was Celia. Hang on, Celia, I'm coming for you! I'll make sure you're never alone again, because..

I love you too!