Conflicted Eyes, Confusing Feelings | Complete

s i x t y

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You never know how much you love someone until you watch them love someone else.

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"Maria! Ma-chan!"

"F-Felt!"

She still didn't stop.

Clueless about what to do yet knowing that he needed to get away, Sage stood as well. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, ducked his head and made to walk away, but Felt grabbed his arm, spinning him to meet her excited gaze. "Let's go hang out with them! It'll be fun!"

"Felt, I—"

"Yay!"

Taking Sage's incomplete response for a yes, Felt yanked her boyfriend's hand out of his pocket and entwined their fingers. Pulling him with surprising force, Sage had no choice but to reluctantly follow the excited girl despite the millions of explosions being set off in his heart, seconds away from reawakening tears.

She only released Sage as she sprung into Maria's arms.

"Malika, I told you to stop calling me that stupid 'Ma-chan' thing of yours." Maria hissed as she shoved Felt away from her. She stared at Felt in admonishment for a second before her gaze flitted to the fidgeting blond boy behind her. Meeting eyes for a split second, Sage ripped tore away, feeling a thrill of fear bolt through his body at the brief, harmless contact.

Cold brown eyes.

Maria smirked. "Hey. Sage, is it?"

The blond stiffened at the foreign sound of his name easily rolling off her tongue. Tensely nodding, he hugged himself and stepped back, out of their line of sight.

"It's good to see you," Maria continued. "I've been dying to meet the boy who managed to sweep Malika off her feet," she mused, but her voice had a tinge of mockery and malice to it. She stuck her hand out, towards him.

He dumbly stared at her hand for what felt like forever. Not wanting to offend her, he reluctantly lifted his hand to enclose around her petite, feminine ones that were still bigger than Sage's despite her being a girl. He yelped as Felt tugged him forward, into her arms, her embrace. "It's so nice to meet you."

Sage pulled away as subtle as he could, feeling the terror manifest itself in hands that almost left him and reached up to clasp around his neck. "U-un..."

"You both know me, and you know Xander already," she sweetly said, letting Xander's name easily roll off her tongue. "My boyfriend."