Liam Anderson and I grew up together, and I’ve had a crush on him for ten years. I always thought that if I gave it enough time, he would eventually notice me. That is, until Liam’s birthday, when he showed up holding hands with my best friend. They kissed in front of everyone’s congratulations. Then Liam said that to him, I was just a convenient maid. Liam has always been incredibly handsome, so he’s had a constant stream of admirers and relationships since we were young. I was the only one who stayed by his side all this time. I always thought I was special to him, carefully hiding my feelings while following his every word. Liam’s friends often joked, “Liam, you’ve got yourself a loyal little sidekick.” Liam never denied it. This year, Liam turned twenty-four. One day, after he sobered up from drowning his sorrows over a breakup, I was cooking in the kitchen when Liam came up behind me and patted my head. “Amber, what would I do without you? I’d probably starve to death, right?” “You know what, maybe we should just get together,” he said casually. His offhand comment nearly stopped my heart. I froze, unable to speak. But Liam laughed first. “Just kidding. You’re not really my type.” I shooed Liam out and continued cooking alone in the kitchen. His two sentences had lifted me up, only to shatter me moments later. When I finished cooking, I left. Liam lazily said goodbye, “Come back soon, Amber.” I didn’t answer, practically fleeing from his place. When I got home, my college roommate Rachel was there, calling me over to eat some strawberries. Looking at Rachel sitting on the couch in just her pajamas, bare-faced yet still breathtakingly beautiful, I couldn’t help but feel dejected. If I were that pretty, maybe Liam would like me. Of course, Liam has always been attracted to beautiful, glamorous, dazzling girls. And me? I’m plain and ordinary, like one of the countless stars in the sky – people probably couldn’t even remember my name if they tried. Seeing me lost in thought, Rachel pinched my cheek. “What are you spacing out for? You’ve been acting weird since you came back from seeing your crush today.” “Did you two have a fight?” Rachel knew I had liked someone for a long time, so she occasionally teased me about it. I shook my head. “What crush? We’re just friends. Don’t make stuff up.” “Oh, come on. If you like him, just admit it. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. If you like him, go confess. If he doesn’t like you back, at least you can move on instead of torturing yourself like this.” She was right, but it was hard for me to do. After all, I had liked him for ten years. But this time, I silently told myself that this would be the last time. If it didn’t work out, I’d give up. On my birthday, I invited Liam out for dinner. But I didn’t expect him to come to my rented apartment while I was out. Liam and Rachel ran into each other. They chatted briefly, but to me, they looked like a perfect match – the handsome guy and the beautiful girl. I dug my nails into my palms, telling myself it was nothing. After Rachel left, Liam excitedly bumped my shoulder with his. “Wow, Amber! I can’t believe you never told me you had such a gorgeous friend.” “You never asked,” I replied. It’s true. He never cared about my studies, my life, or my friends. It was always me chasing after him. “Hey, give me her SnapChat. I’ll treat you to something nice,” he said. I shook my head, forcing myself to say, “She doesn’t like guys like you.” “Oh, come on. Just give it to me.” In the end, I gave it to him. But I thought that since Rachel had known me for so long and knew I liked Liam, she wouldn’t agree to go out with him. After that, Liam occasionally came to my rented apartment. He and Rachel didn’t talk much, and they didn’t seem very close, which put my mind at ease. I was planning to confess to Liam at his birthday party a month later. If it didn’t work out, I’d give up. But I was sure it would work. After all this time, he must have noticed me by now. I prepared for a long time, deciding what to wear to the birthday party and even revising my confession speech more than a dozen times. However, I failed to notice Rachel’s increasingly frequent late nights out and the happy smile on her face. On Liam’s birthday, he invited many friends. I wore a beautiful long dress for the occasion. Before I left, Rachel gave me a strange look.
She said something odd, too. “Why are you dressing up so fancy for his birthday? People might think it’s a proposal or something.” I heard a hint of mockery in her words, but when I turned to look at her, she was just staring at her phone. When I arrived at the private room, Liam wasn’t there yet. I knew Liam’s friends, and they sat next to me, teasing, “Amber, you’re all dressed up today. Are you going to confess to Liam?” “Good luck! If it works out, you have to treat us all to drinks!” “Sure,” I agreed with a smile. Liam arrived half an hour later. Everyone was pushing me, ready to shove me in front of Liam as soon as he opened the door. But we didn’t expect him to appear holding Rachel’s hand. The hands pushing me suddenly stopped. The atmosphere instantly became awkward. I stood there holding a bouquet of flowers, completely out of place. Rachel spoke first, “Liam, look at the flowers Amber bought for you. Thank her.” Liam tightened his grip on Rachel’s hand. “You’re so generous.” Then he turned to me and said perfunctorily, “Thanks, Amber.” For the rest of the time, I hid in a corner, staring at my out-of-place dress and feeling utterly foolish. So, the feelings that all his friends knew about – how could he not have known? So, because I wasn’t pretty enough, I was destined not to win his affection, but Rachel, whom he had only known for a short time, could. The couch beside me dipped as Rachel sat down. There was a smile on her face that didn’t reach her eyes as she apologized to me, “I’m sorry, Amber. I didn’t tell you we were together.” “But you can’t control these things. You should face reality.” I looked at her, shocked. I never expected Rachel, whom I’d known for years, to be like this. She dismissed my confusion with disdain. “Don’t you get it? He likes pretty girls.” I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t argue. For the rest of the evening, Liam blew out his candles and then hugged and kissed Rachel under the lights. At that moment, I decided I didn’t want to like Liam anymore, and I didn’t want to be friends with Rachel either. I put Liam’s house key from my pocket into Rachel’s bag. As I was about to leave, Rachel grabbed me. Her beautiful eyes were even more captivating at that moment, and she spoke with a pitiful tone, “Amber, I know you’re mad at me. But I’m sorry, you can’t force someone to like you. I’ll take good care of Liam.” For a moment, I was stunned. Not just me, but Liam’s friends were too. She was doing this on purpose, humiliating me in front of everyone. I wanted to say something, but Liam beat me to it. “What are you talking about? Amber and I are just bros. I don’t like her that way. Right, Amber?” Fighting back tears, I looked at Liam and Rachel in the silent room. “Yes, I used to like Liam. But from today on, I will never like Liam again. If I do, may I drop dead.” After I said this, Liam’s expression changed drastically. “And Rachel, I don’t want to be friends with you anymore. You disgust me.” With that, I left. But as soon as I was out the door, Liam caught up with me. His voice was cold, “Amber, apologize to Rachel.” I shook off his hand. “Apologize my ass. I was an idiot for ever liking you.” Seeing Liam’s shocked expression, I turned and left. This time, he didn’t follow. I walked down the street in my dress, shoulders hunched, sobbing uncontrollably. I cried for a long time before I noticed someone behind me. Through my tear-filled eyes, I saw a guy in a black hoodie standing not far away, watching me. He was pretty handsome. I crouched down, picked up a brick, and pointed it at him. “If you keep following me, I’ll fight you to the death.” My shout made everyone around look at me and the guy. The guy frowned slightly and walked towards me. “Wipe your tears and see who I am.” I didn’t have any tissues, and I had been sniffling back my runny nose. How could I wipe? The guy sighed and rummaged in his pocket, but came up empty.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296243”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance
Leave a Reply