Chapter 61: A token of love

Milie's POV

By the time the party ended, I had somehow managed to gather myself.

The terrace conversation with Sammy still lingered inside my chest, but I pushed it aside.

For tonight, for Daxton, for everyone.

We stayed upstairs for some more time, laughing, drinking, and talking about random things until none of us could think too deeply.

When we finally came downstairs, my eyes immediately found Alan. As if they always did.

He was standing near the dining table with a paper plate in his hand.

The moment he noticed me, he smiled warmly. "Pizza?"

I nodded. He handed me a slice before taking one for himself.

The simple gesture bloomed something warm inside me.

"Hey, are you people done with your secret best-friends meeting?" Tessa teased.

Normally, Sammy would've fired back instantly.

Instead, he grabbed her waist and kissed her lips. The entire room exploded.

"WHOOOOOO!"

Sammy simply shrugged. "Missed me?"

Tessa turned crimson. "Shut up… Not at all."

I could sense what he was fighting behind this.

Everyone laughed, and he hid his pain behind it. For a moment, I, too, forgot everything.

The rest of the night passed with food, drinks, music, and nonsense conversations.

Emma behaved surprisingly normally, and so did Alan.

No awkwardness. No obvious tension. No secret smiles. Nothing.

Which somehow confused me even more.

Around three in the morning, everyone finally headed home. Boys dropped the girls, and I retired to my place.

The next day, when I woke up around elevenish, my head felt heavy, and my stomach grumbled.

"Mom," I groaned, managing to get out of bed. "Your starving daughter requires food."

"You sure?" Mom's voice came from the living room.

"You want food or this box?"

"What box?" I stood in front of her.

She pointed toward the center table. I turned my gaze to find a neatly wrapped package.

I blinked. "A gift?"

"Looks like one."

I grabbed it immediately. "Is it for me?"

Mom smirked. "No. It's for the neighbor's dog."

I gasped. "Ahh… It's mine?"

"He dropped it in the morning."

"He?"

"Alan."

My heart skipped. "Alan? He brought it? For me?"

My hands, of their own accord, pulled the box closer to my chest, and my lips twirled into a smile.

Before I could open it, my phone buzzed. The message on our group chat.

Sammy: BIG NEWS.

Sammy: OUR ALAN BOY IS GOING ON A DATE TODAY.

I froze. Date? My stomach dropped.

Daxton: Told you.

Daxton: He'll give Emma a chance.

The excitement I'd felt vanished instantly.

Yesterday she confessed. Today... date?

The gift suddenly felt heavier in my hands.

Sammy: Princess has awakened.

Sammy: Thoughts about your beloved neighbor?

I twitched my lips, frustrated for asking me despite knowing I would be hurt.

I exhaled and typed.

Milie: That was quick.

Milie: But happy for them 😊.

Sammy: Ditto.

The lie tasted bitter. My lips dropped, and I stared at the gift.

Why would he give me gifts if he was already moving on?

Why did he remember things I casually mentioned months ago?

Why did he care so much?

And why did I care?

I stood abruptly and instantly dragged my legs to his house, knocking and banging.

The door opened. Alan stared at me. "Have patience, girl."

"Here… Take it back." I pushed the gift box towards him.

His brow furrowed. "Good morning, Mils. What's the matter?"

"I don't want it."

"And why is that?" He looked genuinely confused.

"Nothing."

I pushed the gift harder toward him.

He sighed and grabbed my wrist, pulling me inside.

As the door shut behind us, he stood in front of me, crossing his arms. "Ok… Start talking."

"I already talked."

"No, you haven’t, Mils." He pointed at my face. "That face is talking."

I looked away. He stared at me for several seconds before speaking up gently.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Huh?" His sincerity hit me, and my anger lost half its strength. "No."

"Then why are you returning it?"

How could I tell him that I hated the idea of him dating someone, that it hurt me more than I knew?

"Uhmm… I don't want special treatment."

Alan blinked and then laughed. "Oh."

I frowned. "What?"

"You came all the way here for that?"

I didn't answer. I just stared at him with a pout.

He smiled. "Mils." He gently pushed the box back toward me. "This isn't special treatment."

"Then what is it?"

"It's a thank-you."

My heart squeezed. "For what?"

"For making yesterday special."

His voice turned yet softer. "For making me feel loved."

My anger vanished completely, and was replaced by guilt… A mountain of guilt.

"Please, open it."

I looked at the package. Then at him. Then back to the gift.

"Should I be scared?"

"Probably."

"Why?"

"It's not a normal gift."

I narrowed my eyes. "You bought me a textbook, didn't you?"

"That would've been useful."

"You bought me stationery."

"I am regretting this already."

I giggled despite myself. Slowly, I unwrapped and froze.

"No way." My mouth fell open.

Inside sat the exact limited-edition Vans shoes I'd once spent fifteen minutes ranting about. The exact color, the exact edition.

I looked at him. "You remembered?"

Alan shrugged awkwardly. "You wouldn't stop talking about them."

My chest felt a tight knot. How? How did he always remember everything?

The small things, the stupid things, the things nobody else noticed.

I sat beside him, holding the box, unable to stop smiling.

"Do you like them?"

I looked up. His face was genuinely nervous, like my answer mattered.

"A lot." I laughed and threw my arms around him. "You idiot."

His body relaxed instantly. "So that's a yes?"

"Yes… I love them."

"Really?"

"I LOVE them, Alan."

He finally smiled. The smile reached his eyes, and for some reason, that made me happier than the gift itself.

A few minutes later, I was wearing the shoes and parading around his living room.

"Look." I posed dramatically. Alan laughed.

I twirled on the other side. "Look from here."

"Yeah… I saw Milie."

"Does it look good?"

"Yeah, it does."

I got excited like a child, and he shook his head. "You are impossible."

I stopped in front of him, and for a brief second neither of us spoke.

Just our eyes held onto each other, warm and soft, until my heartbeat accelerated.

I quickly looked away. "I hope he didn’t notice."

An hour later, I reached college for my third lecture.

Every few steps, I glanced at my shoes, and when I reached our usual spot, I immediately lifted one leg.

"Attention, everyone." I whistled.

There were Sammy, Daxton, Tessa, and Emma.

Sammy looked down. Then almost screamed dramatically. "No way."

He grabbed my ankle. I nearly fell. "You maniac!"

"Limited edition Vans?"

"Yeah." I grinned proudly.

Daxton laughed. "When did you buy those?"

"I didn't."

"Oh? Then?"

I smiled, trying and failing to hide it. "Alan gifted me."

Sammy whistled. "Woah…Alan boy remembers every random thing you say."

"Right?" I smiled automatically. "I felt the same."

"He is the best," I said, lost in my happiness. I didn't even notice that the entire group had gone silent.

Daxton's jaw tightened while Emma looked down.

I hadn't meant to make it sound like that, but I already had.

Suddenly, the entire situation felt awkward, and then, as if it couldn't get any worse, a random girl stopped by, making things even worse.

"Aww."

We all looked at her.

She smiled. "You two are still the cutest almost-couple on campus."

My smile disappeared. The girl pointed toward my shoes.

"I wish somebody looked at me the way Alan looks at you."

I looked down, my heartbeat raced, not sure if it was nervousness or feeling so special.

She walked away and BOOM.

Emma walked away. "I have a class."

Daxton followed her. I suddenly realized how everyone sees Alan and me.

My stomach dropped.

Sammy watched both of them leave. Then looked at me before leaning closer to me.

"I still think you should tell Daxton the truth." My heartbeat stopped.

"And also confess to Alan before it's too late."

Saying, he walked away with Tessa, leaving me alone with my new shoes and a heart that suddenly felt heavier.