Chapter 24: One-sided Love

Chapter 24: One-sided Love


Emris’ POV

“Can we go now?” Bella said, rolling her eyes seeing me flirt with a scholarship girl. 

I had loved Bella—silently and hopelessly—since junior school. But I could never quite find the right moment or the courage to say it out loud. And after four years, she still held me in her heart as her best friend, just that and nothing more. 



“Emris, I’m going out on a date,” she grinned, her eyes glowing.

“You always go on dates, Bella,” I muttered as I wheeled into the designer boutique.

“No, this one’s special,” she said, unbuckling her seatbelt.

We stepped out and headed toward the boutique—a high-end designer store that only a certain class could afford to walk into without flinching. Minutes later, Bella was in the changing room, and I sat outside, sipping on my chilled sparkling water.

When she finally stepped out, I almost choked.

She wore a short, off-shoulder pink dress that hugged her figure,  and black heels, a delicate diamond chain that sparkled against her collarbone, and held a small shiny clutch.

Her curls were pinned loosely, giving her that effortless, expensive charm most people had to fake.

I blinked. Normally, I looked away quickly—just to protect whatever piece of heart I still had left—but today, I couldn’t.

She was… breathtaking. Beautiful in every way. 

She walked over and sank into the sofa across from me.

“Aren’t you going to change back into what you came with?” I asked, trying to sound neutral.

“Nope,” she said, adjusting her dress. “I’m going straight from here.”

I didn’t ask who she was meeting, since she went on dates just for the fun of it. 

I tapped on my phone, scrolling aimlessly, trying to distract myself—but my mind kept spinning, and my chest felt too tight.

“Let’s go get a drink at Maison D’or,” she said suddenly, rising to her feet.

The restaurant was one of the most exclusive rooftop restaurants in the city.

At Maison D’or, I stirred my cup of premium Darjeeling tea, not really drinking—just keeping my hands busy. Bella sat across from me, her eyes dancing over her screen.

Then her phone beeped, and her whole face lit up.

She stared at the message like she had just won a lottery. Then, she took one final sip, set her cup down, and stood up.

“How do I look?” she asked, spinning lightly with a soft smile.

I swallowed hard.

“What… what do you mean?” I managed, the words coming out shaky and slow.

She walked over, now standing right in front of me. My heart hammered against my ribs as I blinked several times.

And for the first time, I stared at her without looking away. My throat dried. My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

Then, she leaned down—too close. I could feel her breath brush over my skin and her perfume wrapped around me. She placed one hand gently on my neck, the other resting on my shoulder. 

Her fingers moved gently on my skin as she looked down at my lips, her gaze steady and playful. My eyes fluttered shut, reacting before I could stop myself.

Her soft giggle snapped me back.

My eyes flew open.

“I must be really pretty today,” she said, still smiling. “That reaction was all I needed.”

She kissed my cheek and walked away, leaving me dazed.

I sat there for a moment, scoffing to myself.

What was I even expecting?

I tilted my cup and finished the rest of my tea, hoping the warmth would calm whatever storm was building inside my chest.



I got home still feeling that strange tingling sensation under my skin—something between frustration and confusion. But the longer I sat with it, the more it twisted into pure annoyance.

And then, the thought came, sharp and unwanted. Who did Bella go on that date with?
She looked so happy... too happy.

Then the name hit me—Lucien.
“No, no,” I said out loud, the name sounding ridiculous even to my own ears. “There’s no way Bella’s on a date with Lucien,” I muttered, trying to convince myself. But the thought had already rooted itself in my mind.

I scrolled through my contacts and tapped on Lia’s name—one of the scholarship students. Someone easy, someone who wouldn’t ask too many questions.

“Hey, Emris,” she said as she picked up, cheerful as always.

“Come over to my house,” I said flatly, no explanation, no tone. And then I hung up.

About an hour later, she arrived, all smiles and excitement.

The moment Lia stepped inside, I walked straight up to her and kissed her. Hard.
I held the back of her neck, deepening the kiss as my hands slid down to the zipper of her dress. I wanted to erase everything—Bella’s smile, and how she had looked at me with those eyes.

I lifted Lia by the waist, setting her down on the table behind us, my hands already parting her thighs, but—

Suddenly, I pulled back. The air around us cracked with tension.

“Get out,” I said sharply, not looking her in the eye.

“What?” she whispered, breathless and confused.

“I said get out!” I shouted this time, and the words echoed through the empty room.
She scrambled off the table, grabbed her bag, and hurried out, still stunned. The door slammed behind her, but the noise did nothing to calm me.

I ran a hand through my hair, pacing, my chest heaving. Bella was honestly driving me insane.



The next day, as I stepped into class, my eyes immediately found Bella.
And just like that, my heart skipped a beat.

Everything from yesterday—the kiss, the frustration and the shame—came flooding back all at once.

She turned to me and smiled, casually like nothing had happened.
I nodded lightly in return, trying to keep my face still. But inside, it felt like my chest was caving in, like each heartbeat was dragging me under a weight I couldn’t name.

Later that evening, during basketball training, I saw Bella walking towards the basketball court.

I started walking toward her, thinking maybe she’d come to ask for something—as usual. I also wanted to ask why she was walking alone.

But just as I was about to call her name, someone else reached her first.

It was Lucien.

He didn’t say a word. He just walked up to her like he owned her, like it was the most normal thing in the world—and then, right in front of me, he cupped her cheek gently and kissed her.

A deep kiss.

She kissed him back, like she’d been waiting for him her whole life.

I froze.

It was like the whole world slowed down, the noise around me faded, and I was just... stuck there, watching.

Watching the girl I’d loved melt into someone else's arms like I never existed. 

It was a strange kind of pain—not loud or dramatic, but sharp and quiet, like a knife sliding in slow.

I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. It was heartbreak in its rawest form.

She didn’t even see me. Or maybe she did—and just didn’t care.