----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chen and Alice were very good friends. They would always text each other and talk outside of school. But suddenly, Alice leaves without anyone knowing what happened to her; however she left a note with Chen explaining her feelings and thoughts about their friendship. Would Chen go after Alice or would he let her off? And what types of feelings did Chen have towards Alice?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chen awoke like any other morning. He got ready to go out like he always did and ate breakfast like any normal day. Frankly, Chen wouldn’t have even realized if it were different than his usual routine, but if only he didn’t see the strange letter that was hanging down in front of his face once he opened his front door to the outside world.

            Taking the letter into his hands, Chen looked at it. It was a blank envelope, there was nothing written on it, but it seemed like there was something inside. Since it was a weekend, Chen didn’t have any of his university classes and figured that his friends could wait just a bit longer for him to go out.

            Going back inside, Chen sat down on the couch to read the letter, but was shocked at what he saw. It was unmistakably Alice’s handwriting, but what he read shocked him even more.

If we really do stop being friends, just know that everything that I’ve ever said is true. That everything I’ve told you has been from the real me, the real me that few know and plenty think that they know. Know that I’ve trusted you with practically every ounce of my being because I knew that I could trust you and that you could do the same, although half of the time you never believed me, but sometimes I thought that you did. Maybe you were just too chicken to say something about trusting me although you knew that from my constant reminders and sayings that you could because I wasn’t like everyone else. I showed you the real me and that is not something that I am able to do very easily. So with those facts and that information that I told you about myself, it’s yours. You can do whatever you please with it, tell the world, tell your friends, keep it to yourself, it’s yours, I’m giving it to you, the rights to it. Just know that whatever you decide to do with it, I can build up walls again. I can create another façade that everyone can believe. I’m good at that type of stuff, it’s my life. I’m a girl who doesn’t break my promises and I’m not about to start. Everything that I’ve promised you is still going to continue even after we graduate from college and go our separate ways. I will always care about you and be there for you, those things will never change. If for some reason you need me, you can always contact me and I will be there for support, whether you just need someone to talk to or just lean onto and be there without any words spoken, I can be that person.

I’ve enjoyed all of the times that we’ve talked with each other. Those moments were special, real, and raw. I mean c’mon, they couldn’t have gotten any better because it seemed like you trusted me, then, too. It seemed like you were giving me information about yourself that you trusted me with and that I would keep the information and I wouldn’t break you. Well I kept up my end of the bargain. It’s not like you didn’t keep up the end of yours, you did, perfectly well. You were always there when I needed you to answer a question for me and you were always there just when I was bored and needed someone to talk to. There’s no one better in the world, and I’m guessing that that’s what a best friend is like. I’m guessing you could say that you’re like my best friend; one of the few people that I have actually ever called my best friend is you. You give meaning to the word that no one else has and before you, no one really did the things that you did, I’m grateful for that.

            But somewhere along the line, between our hour long texting sessions, I sort of started wanting to be more than just friends with you. There was this moment of realization that maybe, just maybe things could be different between us, we wouldn’t be best friends anymore, we could be boyfriend and girlfriend. And for a couple of weeks or so, I pondered the idea, I’ve spent countless hours up at night thinking of why I was thinking that way or reminiscing on a past conversation that got me thinking about the idea in the first place. Trust me, I’ve believed that you liked me, too, and so did everyone else.

Anyone that knows me always thought that you and I were going to end up together, that we were living a lie by lying to ourselves about liking one another or just in denial about the whole thing, or maybe we came to the realization that we did like each other, but just never did anything about it. I know that I didn’t do anything about it, and I’m pretty sure that you didn’t either. I know that there were some moments where it really did seem like you liked me, those little awkward moments where a subtle hint would come along and it would seem like it, although I shook the idea out of my head about five minutes later, but they kept coming back.

            Maybe they were supposed to be in my head for a reason. Maybe I was supposed to keep thinking about the idea of us being together someday in the future, thinking of what we could be like. Sadly, things didn’t turn out that way. I still like you, believe me, I do, you’re going to be one of those ones that are hard to get over, maybe I won’t even be able to get over you, and sometimes I wondered if you liked me. I always thought of the idea of asking you, but never came around to it because I was too afraid of the answer that I’d get. I knew that if you said no, things would be the same, but there might be that subtle awkwardness during all of our conversations, but at least things didn’t change drastically. However, if you said yes, things would have gotten really tricky and changed so much that maybe our friendship couldn’t have handled it. Maybe we would have broken apart our friendship much sooner if I had asked the question, or even if you did.

            However, now it seems like there’s something between us blocking us from our friendship, something that’s trying to break us apart. Perhaps our friendship, or bond, isn’t strong enough to withhold this type of thing. I mean, you have your other crushes that you’ve told me about, maybe it’s something like that getting in the way. Whatever it is, I’m not sure, but for some reason, I have a good feeling that you probably have a good gist about what the whole thing might be about because you are the one that apologized to me for no apparent reason, not one that I could tell. I don’t know, I just sometimes wish that if you knew what the problem was why you didn’t exactly talk to me about it because I really do like our friendship. We’re good friends with one another and I can’t see why we just can’t get past this, whatever this may be because I surely don’t know.

            We haven’t talked in quite a while and sometimes I wish that you would text me first like you have been before, but you haven’t, and I’m not text you because…well there really is no reason, maybe I just don’t want to. I remember how before when we first started talking, a day couldn’t go by without me having to text you, but now, now that’s faded and I guess that was when I really imagined us being together and that you liked me, but now, all of that is kind of over, none of that exists anymore. I can go for a long time now without exactly talking to you through texting or face to face. It’s not like I haven’t talked to you face to face anymore. We normally text each other and that’s perfectly fine.

            Although, it is kind of strange to see you face to face. I think that if that were to happen, we wouldn’t exactly be as close as we are now, who knows why, maybe it’s just something that we’re both incapable of doing, or maybe it’s just me. I’m not really good with those types of things, but as for you, I don’t know, you could be and I might not be sure about that.

The letter abruptly stopped there. It had Chen’s mind going in a frenzy. He didn’t know that Alice had been keeping all of that in. Stepping out of his doorway, he looked around for any trace of her, but he didn’t notice anything…until he saw a car driving down the street. He would be able to recognize that car anywhere…it was Alice’s car.

            Alice didn’t know why her car had to act up on that particular day. She was planning to leave after she had taped Chen’s letter to his doorway, but her car broke down and she had to fix it first before going. As she was driving, she took one last look back at Chen’s house in the rearview mirror, only to see someone chasing behind her.

            Immediately stopping the car, someone ran up to her driver’s seat. Stepping out of the car, Alice saw Chen standing there and panting. “You didn’t have to drive that fast.”

            “Sorry,” Alice awkwardly said as she noticed that her letter was in his hands. How she wished that she would’ve already been on the road and leaving, if only her car hadn’t broken down then she wouldn’t be facing him right now.

            “You’re right,” Chen immediately said catching Alice slightly off guard.

            “What?” Alice asked.

            “You’re right, I liked you and never did anything about the feeling and now that I know you like me too I can do this.” Without waiting for Alice to reply, Chen crashed his lips onto hers and pulled away after they were both breathless. “Alice, will you be my girlfriend?”