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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

My mouth fell open. I couldn't believe what I had just read. I kept on reading and re-reading and reading and re-reading for the words to sink in. I was hyperventilating. Was that possible?

Raymond loved me?

Fuck.

What was I supposed to do?

Did he forget to take those paper back from my book?

Or did he put them here on purpose?

I cannot tell her that I love her.

I mean, she sees me as her best friend, right?

So I have to keep it that way.

I can NEVER risk hurting her. Even if I have to hurt myself for that. Snow is everything for me now.

She's all that matters. And I will always be with her. I will always love her, disguised as her best friend.

Yes, that's what I'm going to do.

I will love her.

But silently.

I read.

Just like my words.

No. It couldn't be on purpose.

So now what?

I couldn't just go and return them to him.

It's wrong to read somebody's personal stuff.

What would I tell him anyway?

Ray, you forgot these in my book.

Damn, he will know that I read them. He knows me way too well.

And then all will go wrong.

Everything we had will be spoilt.

And I couldn't even keep them with me. He will surely notice the absence sooner or later.

I was so confused.

I took a deep breath and took my diary. I got up from my study desk and went out of the room.

I knocked at Stacey's door.

"Ashie you don't have to knock. Just barge in whenever you want," she pulled me in.

"Stace," I whispered because somehow my voice just didn't come out.

"Ashie! Are you alright?" Stacey said as she wiped a tear that fell on my cheek.

I sniffed, "I need to talk to you."

"I'm here for you. I've always been." She hugged me.

I opened my diary to the page where I wrote about Raymond and gave it to her to read.

She gasped. And read on.

She handed me my diary when she was done. I gave her Raymond's papers before she could utter a word.

She read them too.

"Fuck." She cursed once she was done.

"What should I do?"

"Tell him!"

"Tell him what?"

"That you love him!"