Words Can Hurt and Save the Heart

“Just say it,” you silently remind yourself. You knew you would regret it if you didn’t. You just need to tell her. She would just find it out eventually but the sooner the better. Right? You just have to think about the many things she could possibly say as a response to your confession.

“Sorry, I’m not interested.” This response wouldn’t hurt that bad but it would still make you think, why does she not like me? Are you not attractive enough? Not funny enough? Does she just not like your personality? What went wrong?

“Ew.” That response would most likely be the one that hurts you the most. What is ew? The fact that you like HER or the fact that YOU like her. You wouldn’t know how to feel. You might break down right then and there or maybe just get over it until you get home then overthink about it. You can’t tell until it happens.

“Why do you like ME?” You could give her so many reasons, but would she believe any of them? You don’t know her that well. Maybe she has low confidence and doesn’t think highly of herself. Or maybe she has really high confidence and has high standards because of it. 

“That’s really sweet but..” Yeah, you know where that one would go. You have heard it o so many times. They give an excuse for why they are “not ready to date” or they “are done with dating for a bit” when really they are just not interested. 

“Sorry.” Oh no. This one my out rule the second one for the most painful. Sorry could mean many things but you never know exactly what until you ask. In this situation there is no asking, just assuming. The sorry could be a “sorry, I’m not interested” or a “sorry that you feel that way” or even worse. A “sorry but you are not my type” which may be one of the worst-case scenarios.

“I have a boyfriend.” This may not be the worst-case scenario but it will still make you think, Does she actually have a boyfriend or is she just saying that. You have seen that happen before. They are just trying to let you off easy so they say that they are already taken. Or they are not lying and they actually are already dating someone. But that is very unlikely. Or at least that is what you are telling yourself.

“I think that we should just stay friends.” Friendzoned. You know how that feels and you know it doesn’t feel nice. It sucks. It may be one of the worst things. Knowing that the person you asked out will never like you the same way you like them. Only friends. Always.

“You really think I would like you back? What a joke.” Dang. There are so many different ways that one person can break your heart. People say that words can never hurt them. At this point, you wish you could say the same.

You think of so many more ways that she could hurt you but then you realize that you didn’t think about the good reactions that she could have.

“Aw, that’s really sweet.” You maybe can’t tell if that is an okay or a letdown but you can always hope.

“Really? I like you too!” This may be the best-case scenario. Which means that it is very unlikely but who knows? Maybe it could happen.

“You are so cute.” There is a chance that she could be saying that in a mocking way but there is also a chance that she could mean the genuinely. You decide that you would take that 50 50 chance.

“Really? Do you want to hang out sometime?” This response may bring the biggest smile to your face. If you two got to hang out and get to know each other a little more then maybe you could turn it into something more than just a friendship. If you were lucky at least.

“I didn’t see that coming.” You feel like if that was her response you might have to wait to see a smile to count it as a good one. It could also mean she didn’t think that you would say your feelings and she is in disgust but there are other things. Hopefully.

It all comes down to when you actually do it though, doesn’t it? You debate and think about how you will tell her your feelings and decide on the plain “Hey, I thought I should tell you. I like you a lot.”

You just have to hope that it works out in some way that doesn’t have you breaking down in tears. Here she comes, down the hall of the school. School just ended and you just got out or art class and she just got out of math, which is right next to each other. Her blonde hair and blue eyes take your breathe away. Her freckles are perfectly arranged on her face clearly by an angel and the way she walks makes you feel butterflies. You start to think that maybe you shouldn’t tell her how you feel but it’s too late, she is already walking toward you.

“Hey, pal! What’s with the face?” She asks and that is when you realize you had a very serious face when you were thinking of what to do. Here it goes.

“I need to be honest with you really fast,” You say and that is when her smile fades slightly from the seriousness in your voice.

“What’s up?” She asks.

“I have feelings for you,” You say as fast as you can. That’s when time stops altogether. All the people around you that were walking to the exit to go to their buses freeze and it’s just you two. For some reason though, it feels right.

“Really?” Is all she says. You nod and begin to frown. Oh no. “Well, I’m not entirely sure about how I feel about that.” Your heart shatters.

“That’s fine.” It is all you can say, trying to hide the sadness in your voice.

“Wait. I’m not finished.” She says and grins. You look at her in confusion. “I’m not sure about how I feel about that BUT, would you like to discuss it with me over some coffee tomorrow at eight in that coffee shop next to the mall?” And now it is my turn to grin.

“That would be great,” I say. “I guess I will see you tomorrow then.” I begin to walk away but when I get to the exit, she gives me a slip of paper and a hug. I can feel my face redden as she lets go and walks away.

And that is where our love story began.