The Author's POV

'...You are making it really hard for me not to like you.'

Amanda's words echoed inside my mind like thunderbolts as my body stopped moving altogether.

Millions of different thoughts flashed inside of my mind as I struggled to speak.

This...

She knew that I knew all along?

A bitter smile soon spread across my face.

'...And here I thought I was doing a good job at trying to hide my feelings.'

As expected of Amanda, she was more perceptive than I thought.

I was unsure of what to say to her sudden confession as I stared at her. Although I knew that she liked me, I didn't take her for one to express her emotions so suddenly.

The Amanda I knew was supposed to be reserved and shy.

Not someone that would boldly confess like this.

'Just what happened during the time that I was in the demon world?'

Honestly, she had caught me off-guard.

"Ehm—"

"You don't have to answer me just yet."

Amanda let go of the railing before I could say anything else. As she turned away from me, she moved toward the balcony's sliding door.

"Sorry for dropping off something like that after you've just returned. I just...feel like I needed to say it. For my sake."

There was a short pause in her speech as she placed her hand on the slider door.

"...I guess I'm selfish in my own way, but if I never did this, I don't think you would've ever though about it."

In the midst of my racing mind, a strange feeling overpowered me.

"Once again, sorry fo—"

I didn't know when, but before I knew it, I had already taken a step forward and I found myself grasping her wrist.

"Wait."

"Huh?"

After my hand made contact with Amanda's, her body flinched and she turned to face me with a surprised expression.

Our faces weren't far.

About a few inches away from each other.

Gazing at her face which seemed to sparkle under the moonlight, I had a sudden thought.

'Was I always this indecisive?'

It didn't take long for me to come up with an answer to that question.

...Yeah.

I guess I was.

Thinking back, I really did have the tendency to overthink things.

But it couldn't be helped. I was someone that liked to have everything under control.

Just like in this case, were my emotions real, or were they a fruit of my other self's work?

To be honest, this was something that had been plaguing my mind for quite a while. I had long stopped thinking about it because I was busy with other stuff.

It only resurfaced recently when I went to the demon realm.

At the time, I didn't think about saving Amanda's father when I went to the demon world.

How could I have?

I had just come off from a fight against the demon king and found out about the secret of the entity residing inside of my body.

Edward was the last thing that was on my mind back then.

to be noted that they were the ones protecting my parents, and if something bad happened to them, my family would be put in quite

really thinking too deeply about

Amanda may have misunderstood

But.

I slowly opened

"This weekend..."

wrist as I stared deeply into

free

***

Clank—!

the door behind her, Amanda stood still

couple of minutes as she tried to let the events that transpired not too long

'…It really happened, right?'

She thought to herself.

asked her out on a

moment, Amanda's cheeks became hot as her head made its way deeper into her

"It really did happen..."

eyes, Amanda knew that whatever happened

It had actually happened.

Knock—! Knock—!

that moment that Amanda heard a

"Amanda? Are you okay?"

was her

hastily turned her head

"…I'm okay."

in

"Is that so…"

Edward awkwardly said.

followed his voice as neither of

a while, unable to bear the silence anymore, Edward spoke

I come

"No."

the doorside, Amanda shook her

"Don't come in."

she did not want anyone to

knew that her expression wasn't quite

perhaps angry

words, Edward's

herself down,

"I'm not."

"Then why?"

about to take a

"Oh…"

to struggle

He eventually backed off.

to discuss together. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Good

"Good night."

Amanda closely paid attention to the sound of his

was only after she could no longer

slid down and she hid her

"…I'm sorry."

as she thought

it really couldn't

to let

"This is hard…"

***

I make

myself this question as I stared at the ceiling of

since the events that transpired not too long ago still seems a little

she isn't too mad with

neither agreed nor

all thoughts from my mind, I decided

and see if

possibility of my other self manipulating my feelings in order to create a weakness for me, but

Amanda was strong.

talent, she was only lagging behind Kevin. Not only that, she wasn't someone

responsibilities, and knew how to act

I thought of her as

moment's pause in my thoughts,

might be for

note, I really did need something to distract

probably the best distraction

really

voice echoed beside me. My reaction was nonexistent since I had grown

still staring toward the ceiling