The next day at school, you kept your hands buried in your pockets, only opening the doors with your right hand, your left thumb brushed over the band around your left ring finger. A sickening feeling sunk into your stomach as you looked around, your eyes wandering from person to person in the busy hallways. Knowing that the girls you passed weren’t engaged, you sighed and your lips slightly to try and keep the tears at bay.

Entering your classroom, you found your seat and took your books out of your backpack as you continued to hide your left hand within your concealing pocket. Keeping your eyes down, you slowly flipped through your notes, seeing the little drawings that you had sketched in the margins, you couldn’t help yourself but reply all of the thoughts and memories you had with Kris, however sparse and insignificant that they may be.

The chatter of the popular girls filled the room quickly as you glanced up to see them. Lowering your head soon after, you played with your pen between your fingers until the girls went quiet. Lifting your eyes, you focused on the being in the doorway, with Kris slowly shuffling across the tile, his hands deep in his pant pockets before he moved across the floor and sat in the back of the room at a desk in the corner.

Whispers soon jumped from girl to girl as you crossed your legs under your desk as you overheard one of the girls whispering that he was looking at you. Lifting your earphone into your ear, you played your music to try and tune out anything and everything.

Once the teacher entered the room, the chatter went quiet as occasional whisperings were exchanged from one person to the next. With one earphone still in and your music playing lightly, your fingers played with the ring on your left hand. Slipping your hand out of your pocket, you glanced down in your lap at the sparkling ring. A small diamond sat in the center of the ring with smaller diamonds bordering the larger diamond.

Biting your bottom lip, you used your right hand as your fingers began to wiggle the ring off of your ring finger and tried to slip it on another finger to try and make it less conspicuous. Letting your hand rest on your skirt, you continued to play with it as the girl sitting next to you noticed the soft reflection of your ring on her dress. Dropping her eyes down, her eyes floated over to your ring around your thumb.

The teacher adjourned the class as you carefully packed up your things into your backpack before the girl next to you grabbed your wrist.

“W-What are you doing?” You stammered, trying to pull your hand away from hers.

“Chill. I just want to see the ring on your finger” The girl smiled as she twisted your hand slightly from one side to the other.

Kris lifted his head hearing the word ring, squinting his eyes slightly, he leaned in slightly closer as he saw the diamond ring on your thumb. Hissing under his breath, he grabbed his backpack and marched out of the room, your eyes turned to his form leaving the classroom in haste as the girl next to you released her grip just slightly as you pulled your hand away from hers.

“Excuse me” You told her, grabbing your things you left the classroom to try and find Kris, with no luck, you had searched all of the hallways and his favorite spots to hang out at.

Students happily sat around and ate lunch as you sat by yourself under a tree, pulling out your lunch, you ate a bite or two before your eyes fell down to the ring hugging your finger. Seeing Graeson’s face and the arrangement that you faced, you quickly took off the ring and dropped it into your deep pocket.

The school year continued to roll forward as did your school work and the wedding plans. With the wedding planned after your graduation, you had little say in your ceremony and any of the minor details associated with it.

Daydreaming in class as to what you would have liked for your dream wedding, you tried to picture the day and how it would be, for some reason you couldn’t and you knew something was wrong. A nagging feeling began to grow from that moment on, after a week or two it was unbearable to ignore for any longer.

–

Standing in front of his black door, your hands deeply rooted in your jacket pockets while your mind tried to remember the speech you had memorized the night before. Taking a few deep breaths, you pulled one of your hands out of the warm pockets letting the brisk air brush against the warm skin of your hand. An audible exhale escaped your lips before your knuckles made contact with the cold wooden door. Hearing the loud knocks, you lowered your eyes partly wishing he wouldn’t answer.

Footsteps were heard a few seconds after, then the fumbling of locks, your heart was beating out of your chest unsure how this encounter was going to go. Watching the toes of your shoes, you saw the door open, his socked feet standing in front of yours.

“Can I help you with something, stalker?” He leaned against the door frame as his cold voice sent shivers up your spine.

“I just wanted to…” Your eyes slowly lifted as they met his biting your lip softly, you watched as he tilted his head to one side, “Can I tell you something?”

“If you are going to confess to me again…” He scoffed as a sly smile curled on his lips, “I might as well save you from the heartbreak.”

“You already broke my heart, no need to do it again” You added, your eyes dropping from his as your hand slipped back into your pocket.

The air went silent as Kris nodded gently, not thinking that it went that far to break your heart. Folding his arms across his chest, he shifted his weight from one foot to two letting some time pass, his eyes observing you and your every move.

“So… what did you come here for then?” He inquired, not wanting to drag this out any longer.

“I-I came here to tell you that you don’t have to worry about me anymore” You glanced up at him, your eyes slightly coated over with fresh tears.

“How so?” He questioned slightly happy to hear this

“I’m getting married” You announced, those words stinging your tongue like salt in an open wound.

“M-Married?” He stammered, his eyes widening, “Were you seeing someone while you were stalking me?”

Shaking your head from side to side, you took another breath you calm your nerves, “My parents arranged a marriage for me when I was young but it suddenly resurfaced after you rejected my confession the last time… they want us to get married now so we don’t waste any more time…”

Suddenly Kris felt compassion for you coupled with a slight sadness, “When is the wedding?”

His question caught you off guard, thinking that he would just laugh or chuckle or say the emotionless ‘that’s good for you’ yet those words didn’t spill from his lips.

“Two weeks” You told him, slowly letting your eyes rise and move back up to his.

“Are you happy?” Another unexpected question spilled from his lips, his voice slowly softening and becoming almost kind.

“W-What?” You questioned, “A-A-Ah I mean…”

Hearing you stammer, he slowly leaned forward and looked into your eyes, “Are you happy?”

“Well my parents ar-” You began yet he cut you off

“No” He shook his head, “Are you, ______, happy?”

His simple yet thoughtful question caused you to think, your heart quickly beating as you were closer to him than ever before. Knowing that you never had that fleeting feeling when you met your arranged husband the first and only time.

“No” You whispered softly, being honest with yourself and your heart.

“If you had your way, who would you marry?” Kris inquired, probing deeper while his beautiful brown eyes continued to hold your attention and heart under his control.

Biting your lip, you felt your heart skip a beat, “You”

Standing back upright, he resumed his position leaning against the door, “Who would you marry?”

Kris blushed and looked from side to side letting his mind wrap around your question, “If it had to be someone… then it would be you.”

“I thought you hated me, I was too annoying and you couldn’t stand someone that was clingy” You repeated what he had told you those few short weeks ago. “Besides why should I waste my time on you, since I’m not even your ‘“type”.” Using your fingers to quote his words, you took a deep breath, your eyes dropping from his as you shook your head from side to side while the weight of his words began to imprint on his own heart.

“I don’t know why I even came here…” You muttered softly before bowing and stepping back, “Have a wonderful rest of your life. I wish you all the best.”

Making eye contact with him once more, taking in his beautiful brown eyes, the way that his blonde hair carefully framed his face while his perfect pink lips parted. Backing up, you bowed to him and made your leave.

Kris watched you walk away from his front door, wiping your eyes once you a little distance away from his door. Pulling the sleeves of your sweater over your fingers, you wiped your tears from your eyes while Kris watched his heart break with every step away from him. Realizing that you were slipping through his fingers, he ran his fingers through his hair before he retreated inside.

Making your way home, you couldn’t help but let tears roll down your eyes, reality hitting you hard as you tried to cope with the future that was about to unfold. Not wanting to head home just yet, you wandered through the park then the streets around your home before you were ready to face reality again.

A street bike was parked in front of your house while you wondered who came over. Pushing open the front gate, you heard it close behind you as you approached your door. Turning the handle, you stepped inside and closed the door quietly behind you.

Peeling your jacket off of your shoulders, soft footsteps slowly approached you causing you to turn around to meet the face that stood behind you.

“K-Kris? How’d you get in here?” You questioned obviously shocked that he was standing in the doorway between your entry and living room.

“Your mom let me in” He chuckled trying to make a joke, however the look on your face didn’t express that you were very impressed.

Stepping towards you, you kept your eyes on him trying to read his next move, “Listen for a moment please, I know I haven’t been that good to you in the past years, but please let me be the one to give you everything you want and need, good love and protection, please make me your selection. To show you what true love really means.”

“Is your idea of love, turning away from talking to me? Humiliating me in front of others and stabbing my heart then break it into a hundred pieces?” You questioned, tears slightly pooling in your eyes.

“I’ll change, for you” Kris’ hand wrapped around your arm sweetly, “What does he do that I don’t?”

“Kris, you missed your chance, I was willing to be yours forever and always, but you didn’t see my feelings for you until it was too late” You told him a tear rolling down your cheek.

Lifting his hand up gently, he brushed his thumb to wipe your tear. “Please just make your choice, for you. I can take care of everything else”