“So what? Plenty of women date men who are younger than them, and it’s great having an older wife.” Ronan didn’t think that our age gap was a problem, contrary to me. He didn’t mind it, and he even made a case for it.
I could see the resolve in his eyes, and whenever Ronan was serious, he was a different person entirely. Damn, he just made it three times harder for me to say no.
“I told you it’s impossible, Ronan. You’re just like a brother to me, and I have someone I like, so I will never say yes,” I stared him in the eye, refusing adamantly.
Ronan froze up when I told him I had someone I liked. Then, much to my disbelief, I saw a hint of sorrow in his eyes. If I hadn’t seen that, I would have thought he was joking with me.
Ronan had always been the goofy kid, but the sadness in his eyes made me waver. Did he really fall for me? But we’ve only hung out a couple of times. We don’t really know each other well. It’s insane that he’d fall for me so easily.
“But you can never date the guy you like, right? So I’ll make you forget all about him. I wouldn’t have confessed today if you hadn’t told me about that. I’ll make you happy, Anna. I swear,” he said solemnly. It was the first time he was acting so serious, and it had to be during a confession.
I was both happy and troubled. It was great that he didn’t see me as a frivolous woman, but on the other hand, if he was persistent about this, I might end up losing a friend.
“Ronan, I told you I only see you as a friend. If you’re still not giving up, then I think it’s best that we never meet again.” I didn’t want to hurt him, but I had no choice. I could never see a future where I was dating him, so I had to make sure that he would give up on me.
Ronan froze up again, and he looked at me in agony. He never expected me to be so cruel, but he still didn’t give up, though his sadness was already overflowing. “So… we can only just be friends?”
“Yes,” I answered adamantly, crushing all his hope.
Upon that, Ronan stared at me in silence, and I said nothing too. A moment later, he smiled again. “I see. Then, we’ll just be friends,” he said softly.
I heaved a sigh of relief. Good thing he’s not persistent. But then he said something that almost made me bang my head against a wall.
“But give me a call when you want to be my girlfriend, okay? I’m always here.”
Great. He was still holding on to a sliver of hope even though I had rejected him. “That day will never come, so don’t hold your breath.”
I couldn’t believe he was still holding on to hope even though I said no. For some reason, I felt like he wouldn’t give up until I said yes. Damn, he’s just like Michael.
Michael. And depression came crashing back again, but I shook my head, forcing myself to forget about all that had happened. Since I couldn’t change the past, there was no point moping over it.
“I’ll be leaving now, so you get some rest. But don’t shy away just because of what happened tonight. We’re still friends, okay?” Ronan was still smiling, but I could see that he wasn’t as upbeat anymore.
Oh, he’s smart. He knew I would avoid seeing him again. Yes, that was my plan, but since he stopped me from doing it, I couldn’t stay away anymore.
“Don’t worry. You’re my brother and my friend. I won’t avoid you, but please don’t confess to me anymore.” I gave him a smile and calmed him down. As long as he stopped confessing to me, we could still be friends.
“Sure. Bye then.” He waved goodbye and left.
I heaved a sigh of relief after Ronan was no longer in sight. I was surprised that he confessed to me, but I was also worried. What if we could no longer be purely friends after this?
But that was a problem for another day. It was already night, and I had nowhere else to go but home. However, I still had no idea how to face Michael.
Unlike the night before, Michael was in the house when I came back. The moment I came in, he shot me a sharp look, and a chill ran down my spine.
“Where were you? You were out all day long.” He gazed at me quizzically.
I averted my gaze, for it was too hard to face him. For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye. “I went out to get some fresh air,” I answered as calmly as I could, then I went toward the bedroom.
Annoyed by my attitude, Michael barked, “Hold it right there!” I could see that he was angrier than before, but I didn’t turn back, though I stopped in my tracks. Right then, I knew I had angered him, but I didn’t want to explain myself.
“Where were you, and who were you with?” Michael shot two more questions at me, then he came toward me. If looks could kill, the fury in his eyes would have burned me to a crisp.
“I went to the beach with a friend.” I looked at him and answered calmly, then I tried to go around him, but Michael wouldn’t let me go easily.
He grabbed my arm, glaring at me with unbridled fury. “A friend? What kind of friend?”
I was wincing from the pain on my wrist, but my pain was burned down by my fury because I could see the doubt in his eyes—he thought I was cheating.
