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.

back then primarily because the situation back in the Demon Hunter Guild was complicated. It had to be noted that they were the ones protecting my parents, and if something bad happened to them, my family would be put

really thinking

just maybe, Amanda may have misunderstood

But.

deep breath, I slowly opened my mouth

"This weekend..."

as I stared deeply

you free

***

Clank—!

her, Amanda stood still while lowering her

of minutes as she tried to let

'…It really happened, right?'

She thought to herself.

her

cheeks became hot as her

"It really did happen..."

eyes, Amanda knew that whatever happened back then wasn't a

It had actually happened.

Knock—! Knock—!

moment that Amanda heard a knocking

"Amanda? Are you okay?"

was her

hands on her cheeks, Amanda hastily turned her head and pressed her hands on

"…I'm okay."

in an audible

"Is that so…"

Edward awkwardly said.

his voice as

a while, unable to bear the silence anymore,

can I come

"No."

more pressure on the doorside, Amanda shook her head

"Don't come in."

for her father, she did not want anyone to see her right now. Let

that her expression

perhaps angry at

Amanda's words,

down, Amanda

"I'm not."

"Then why?"

about to take

"Oh…"

ensued as Edward seemed to

He eventually backed off.

have a lot to discuss together.

"Good night."

attention to the sound of

after she could no longer hear them that

and she hid her

"…I'm sorry."

silently murmured as she thought back at her father's

it really couldn't be

to let anyone see

"This is hard…"

***

I make a

repeatedly asked myself this question as I stared at the ceiling

everything since the events that transpired not too

isn't too

I neither agreed nor denied

mind, I

feelings and

in order to create a weakness for

Amanda was strong.

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

someone that knew her responsibilities, and

being a burden, I thought of

moment's pause in my

think this might

really did need something to distract me from the

the best distraction out

it really for

beside me. My reaction was nonexistent since I had grown accustomed

still staring toward the ceiling of my