I should've said it.
That was the thought echoing in my mind as the evening breeze whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves across the quad like quiet secrets.
We were walking back from the university garden party celebrating academic honorees. My medal still hung around my neck, though slightly tilted, forgotten. James walked beside me, hands in his pockets, shoulders relaxed, his navy-blue dress shirt rolled to his elbows—like always. We'd both been laughing about something Sophie had done earlier that day, but now… silence stretched between us. Comfortable. Soft. Loaded.
He turned to look at me.
"You were amazing up there, you know. The speech… everything. You had people tearing up."
I shrugged, smiling. "I was nervous. Like… throw-up-in-my-shoes nervous."
He chuckled. "Well, you didn't. Proud of you."
That was when the moment settled between us—quiet, warm, and unfamiliar. A soft buzz settled in my chest, and I found myself watching him too long. His smile. His eyes. The way he'd supported me all this time.
Maybe now is the right time, I thought.
He was looking at me differently now too, wasn't he? Not like just a friend.
"James?" I asked, stopping under a lamppost. It cast a golden halo over us, shadows long and close.
He turned to face me. "Yeah?"
"There's something I've… I've wanted to tell you for a while."
My heart raced. He tilted his head, giving me that soft, unreadable smile that made me dizzy.
I opened my mouth.
Then—
Laughter erupted in the distance. Sophie's voice, followed by the rest of our group, echoed through the courtyard. The spell was broken.
James looked in the direction of the sound and then back at me. "Yeah?"
I looked at him—his patient eyes, the way he waited so gently for me to speak.
But suddenly, I didn't feel ready.
It wasn't fear this time. It wasn't insecurity. It was something else—something wiser.
"Never mind," I said, smiling. "It can wait."
James raised a brow, curious, but didn't press. He simply nodded, as if he understood in a way only he could. "Alright. Whenever you're ready."
We walked on, and though I hadn't said the words, I felt okay.
I wasn't invisible anymore. I didn't need to rush or chase or prove anything. My life was no longer defined by desperate moments. This time, if I confessed, it would be for me—and when I knew the time was right.
Because real feelings deserved space to grow. Just like I had.
⸻
Later that night, as Sophie and I sat by the window in our pajamas sharing the leftover cupcakes from the party, she nudged me.
"You didn't tell him, did you?"
I looked at her, surprised. "How did you—?"
She smirked. "You've got that 'almost confessed' glow."
I laughed and nodded.
"I'll wait. Just a little longer. For the right moment."
She handed me a cupcake with pink frosting. "Then make sure when you do, it's unforgettable."
I smiled, watching the moonlight pour through the glass.
Yes. It would be unforgettable.