Published via Ecency

#Imagen 3 generated image - Gemini AI#

It was a change in environment—our last bonfire night by the riverside. I stepped out, my legs shaking as if they were clashing against each other. I thought, Was it that I couldn't get through this? It felt as if my last hope of a hangout was lost. I went back to the bus, clinging to the pillows. Soon, Nazuto hugged me.

"What's up, girl? You look dull… What's the problem?" he asked.

A wave of sadness filled my eyes. My vision blurred with tears, and soon, my eyes turned red, as if it was the end of the world. I wish I could go back in time like the Flash, I thought. But then, I slowly began to understand. Nazuto hugged me again, and before I knew it, I held him tightly. As if he knew what was happening, he tried to hold me even closer.

"Wang, you have to be strong! We are here for you," he said.

That only made things worse—I cried even more. Sensing my pain, he tried another approach.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"No," I replied, trying to articulate my emotions, but I only ended up crying more.

Before long, Wu heard my sobs.

"Hey, pretty girl, why the tears? Your friends might make fun of you," he said.

It was as if he already knew why I was crying.

"We’ll always be in touch," Nazuto and Wu promised.

I stood firm, realizing that everything was just in my mind. Slowly, I began to accept reality. Soon, the other friends came in, and one of them asked,

"Chang, why are your eyes so red, like fire?"

I didn’t say a word.

Wu answered for me, "She’s already missing us."

"You mean she misses us?" Zuko asked. "I thought she was a strong woman."

Nazuto, in his usual funny voice, said, "We are all human. We make mistakes, and we have emotions! Emotions make us who we are."

Soon, we gathered around the already prepared fire. As I neared it, good memories flooded my mind, and before I knew it, I began to smile.

Wu shouted, "Our puppy is smiling!" He caught the moment, pretending to snap a photo with his phone.

#imagen 3 generated image via Gemini AI#
We stood around the fire and began playing Truth or Dare. The music was turned on, and we started passing the bottle. The rule was simple: whoever had the bottle when the music stopped had to answer a question.

Mei, whose name meant "beautiful," started the game. My heart pounded every time the bottle got close to me. I sighed in relief when I thought it would stop at Xiu, but it didn’t. It landed on Wei instead.

Mei grinned. "Who is your current crush? We know you don’t have a girlfriend."

Xiu smiled, and we all started chanting, "Say it! Say it! Say it!"

Finally, he spilled it out.

"Wei," he said.

"Awwwwww!" we all cheered.

Wei blushed. In a playful tone, she said, "I’m not your type."

We screamed again, and she quickly added, "I’m just kidding. I don’t want to break your heart."

The bottle was passed again, and the game continued. The music played on. Jun, anticipating his turn, suddenly shouted, "I knew it!"

As if he had predicted it, the bottle stopped at him. He was given a choice: Truth or Dare?

"Dare," Xiu challenged.

"I dare you to compliment Tian’s outfit," Xiu said.

Tian’s outfit was stunning—her style was different, unique.

Junhesitated but finally said, "You have a beautiful dress. I love it."

We all chimed in. "What about her hair?" someone asked.

"What about her shoes?" another added.

"And her eyelashes?" I said.

Nazuto teased, "You don’t know how to compliment a lady!"

"I wish that dare was meant for me," he added dramatically.

Wei laughed. "Hey! Why now? That’s too much! Do you want his girlfriend to get jealous?"

We all burst into laughter. It was really fun. I didn’t even realize how my once red eyes had brightened. My zygomaticus major and minor muscles were active, making me smile, and my orbicularis oris followed along.

After some time, it was my turn. Lan asked, "What’s your relationship with Nazuto?"

I smiled. Even Nazuto smiled, as if they all knew there was something between us. I loved him—not just as a friend but in a romantic way. I didn’t want to admit it, though.

"He’s my friend," I said.

"What else?" Lan pressed.

Everyone started screaming. Wei picked up a stick, playfully threatening to hit me.

"Okay, okay, okay! Alright…" I stammered, as if I had forgotten how to speak.

"I have feelings for him," I finally admitted.

Everyone cheered.

Nazuto looked at me with warmth in his eyes. "I was supposed to say that to you, but I wasn’t sure of the right time."

Then, to my surprise, he brought out a ring and knelt before me.

"Even if I leave, I will always find my way back to you. I love you, Chang," he said.

Tears welled up in my eyes again, but this time, they were tears of joy.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

I didn’t think twice.