chapter 4 - confession

_________

Amy's lips found his in a spontaneous, tender kiss.

Her lips were soft and warm against his, tasting faintly of the wine she had been drinking. Zahn's heart raced, the shock quickly giving way to a warmth that spread through him. He could feel the gentle pressure of her body against his, the scent of her perfume.

And with that, she fell into a peaceful slumber in his arms. Zahn lay there, stunned, his heart pounding, and his mind reeling from the confusion.

What just... happened...? He was completely speechless..

Zahn was still trying to understand what had happened. Just yesterday she broke up with him now she came home drunk to kiss him?

He took a deep breath, picked her up in his arms, and gently laid her on the bed, covering her with the blanket. He sat on the edge, still feeling unsettled. Out of nowhere, Amy grasped his hand in her sleep.

He looked at her, surprise evident in his eyes. She slept peacefully, looking more endearing than her usual mischievous self.

He didn't pull his hand away. For some reason, he didn't dislike it. The kiss had left an impression.

He touched his lips, still feeling the sensation of the kiss, but then another thought made him frown.

She always drinks. She probably kisses others when drunk. It must mean nothing to her...!

He shook his hand free from her grasp and left the room, determined to detach himself from any emotions.

Zahn stepped into the living room, his heart uneasy.

Amy had kissed him.

He knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

His pulse was still erratic, a frustrating reminder of how easily she got under his skin. He hated it. He hated that she had this effect on him, that she made him feel things he had no reason to feel. Why was he so attached? Why did she make him feel things he shouldn’t?

He had let himself believe, even for a moment, that maybe Amy truly cared.

How foolish.

She had only been playing with him. Just like before, it was the same now. She saw him as her source of entertainment, forcing a relationship, leaving whenever she pleased, and coming back when it suited her.

His brows furrowed, determination hardening his features.

That kiss meant nothing.

Amy saw him as entertainment—a way to pass the time. That was all.

Amy is so ridiculous. How dare she do that to me?

And yet, no matter how much he tried to reason it away, something else settled in his heart, something far more unsettling.

Then why don’t I... want her to leave?

Their relationship was a mess—a tangled web of emotions and uncertainty, leaving them both stranded in the unknown.

[Next day]

When Amy opened her eyes the next day, she felt a wave of confusion. My room looks different...? Wait...

She instantly sat up, realizing whose room it was.

No, no... What am I doing here? How did I even get here?? She grabbed her hair as the memories started flooding back. Wait...

She began to recall the events of yesterday. She went to the club with Ruby, drank excessively, then ran to Zahn's home...and then she kissed him!

Amy wanted to disappear. She wanted to scream out of embarrassment. She buried her face in the pillows. What have I done?! I'm so embarrassed...this is the second time i kissed him again, After everything, he must be so angry.

In frustration, Amy grabbed her phone to text Ruby.

Amy: "Hey, when I was drunk yesterday, couldn't you have taken me to your home?!"

Ruby: "So sorry, Amy! I was so drunk myself! "

Amy: "You're Good for nothing! I'm shouldn't gone out with you! "

Ruby: "What happened? Did something happen to you?"

Amy: "Of course! I'm at Zahn's home! I didn't even realize when I came here yesterday."

Ruby: "Oh my! What are you even doing there?! "

Then Amy realized why she had even come over to his house.

Right... I realized my feelings and came here... But Zahn doesn't like me at all! He must be disgusted by my actions. I need to get out of here quickly!

Amy quickly got out of bed, not even bothering to fix her hair. She grabbed her phone and opened the door.

But just as she did, she was greeted by Zahn, who was setting food on the table. "You're up? Come have breakfast."

"......" She couldn't run away anymore.

She sat down at the dining table, unable to meet his eyes. With difficulty, she picked up a sandwich, but just as she was about to take a bite, Zahn spoke.

"You remember what you did yesterday, right?" His expression was stern and unreadable as always, while he sipped his tea.

"Uhmm... That... It seems I drank a lot yesterday and accidentally ended up here. And perhaps I threw up. I'm sorry, Zahn," she said with a forced laugh, trying to appear normal while pretending to remember nothing.

"No, you kissed me," he corrected her, straightforwardly.

Amy's heart raced. She was mentally panicking.

She tried to act normal again. "Oh, did I? I was just drunk..."

"Oh. So you kiss everyone when you're drunk?"

"What?? No way!" Amy's eyes widened in shock. She slammed her hand on the table, "The thing is... I actually like you!"

"What?" He was stunned.

Seeing his expression, Amy had a bad feeling. She stood up, planning to run away.

But he was quick. He grabbed her arm. "You're not getting away this time. You'd better explain everything."

"....." Amy had no choice now.

Amy finally explained everything to Zahn—why she had forced him into dating, her original intentions, how her feelings had changed, and how she had just realized yesterday that she truly liked him.

Zahn took it all in without much reaction, his face unreadable. After a moment, he summarized, "So, you forced me to date you just to get revenge on me? To hurt me?"

Amy felt a pang of guilt. She lowered her gaze and admitted, "Yes… I'm so sorry, Zahn. I realize how immature I was. I just wanted to satisfy my own ego and pride. I didn’t think about anything else."

He let out a small scoff. "I already figured you had some kind of motive."

"Wait, you knew?" Amy blinked in surprise.

"Wasn't it obvious?" He gave her a slightly mocking look. "Why else would you force someone to date you? There had to be a reason."

Amy scratched the back of her neck, embarrassed. "Well, yeah… I guess it did look that way at first. But that was before I got to know you. After spending time with you, I stopped caring about revenge. I actually liked being with you. And now…" She took a deep breath, sincerity shining in her eyes. "I really like you."

But Zahn didn’t look convinced. "Why would you even like me?" His expression remained skeptical, one eyebrow raised.

"Because… you’re considerate. You care in your own way, even if you don’t show it much. I feel really comfortable around you. And well… you're also really good-looking, you cook great, and things just feel fun when I’m with you." She looked at him hopefully.

Zahn frowned. Fun? With me? When have I ever been caring to her?

His mind raced with doubts. To him, this all seemed absurd. One day she forced him into dating, yesterday she broke up with him, and now she was suddenly claiming she liked him? If he had to explain it, he’d say this pest had just gotten used to him—like a habit she didn’t want to let go of. Maybe she saw him as a caretaker, or maybe he was just a source of entertainment for her.

He could’ve easily pushed her away. Kicked her out for messing with him for so long.

But… for some reason, he didn’t want to.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine… I get it."

Amy lowered her eyes, her voice softening. "I know you must be mad at me, Zahn. I didn’t break up with you to hurt you. It’s just… I thought you’d never like me back. I knew you were always pissed off at me, so I ran away instead of facing it." She paused.

"Though… I’m glad I told you everything. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but if you want me to go away, I will. I just hope we can at least stay friends—"

"No."

Amy stiffened at his sudden response.

Zahn looked her in the eyes and, without hesitation, said, "I like you too."

The words left his mouth before he could stop them. They had been buried inside him for so long that now, with nothing left to hide, they just… slipped out.

Amy’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Huh? What?"

She blinked rapidly, unable to process what she had just heard.

"Wait… what did you just say?" She stared at him like she had misheard.

Zahn sighed, looking slightly annoyed but also strangely resigned. "I said… I like you too."

Amy’s jaw dropped. "Woah—wait, seriously?! I literally thought you were asexual. I can’t believe it!"

Zahn thought about it. I thought so too… But somehow, I got attached to her.

A big, beaming smile spread across Amy’s face. She still wondered if she was dreaming. Her heart pounded. She had fully expected Zahn to kick her out, to get mad at her. But instead, he… liked her?

Coming here was worth it!

Before she could think, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Zahn stiffened, completely caught off guard.

"Oh my god, I’m so glad!" she squealed. "I thought you’d hate me forever, but this—this is amazing!"

Zahn remained still, his mind swirling with unfamiliar emotions.

Amy pulled back slightly, her eyes shining with excitement. "So… we’re dating now? For real?"

"I… guess?" Zahn muttered, still overwhelmed. "I don’t really know how this stuff works."

Amy grinned. "That’s okay! We’ll take it slow."

Zahn nodded absentmindedly, then narrowed his eyes. "You seriously forced me into this whole thing over something so petty?"

Amy crossed her arms. "Well, excuse me, but you totally deserved it. You kicked me out of the project, got me scolded, and embarrassed me in front of the whole class."

Zahn raised an eyebrow. "That was your fault. You didn’t contribute anything."

Amy huffed. "Whatever. That doesn’t matter now. What matters is that I’ve changed! And I really like you."

To prove her point, she suddenly cupped his face and kissed his cheek.

Zahn’s breath hitched.

Amy stepped back with a bright grin, her eyes twinkling with excitement. "I can’t wait to see where this goes."

Zahn wasn’t sure how to react. There were mixed emotions on his face—confusion, uncertainty, and something else he couldn’t quite name.

For Amy, this was the start of a proper relationship.

But for Zahn, it was the continuation of something much more complicated.

I don’t think she really loves me… She’s just used to me.

And as for himself…

I don’t know if what I feel is love either.

But he knew one thing for sure—he didn’t want her to leave.

He wanted to go with the flow and experience being with her, for however long it lasted...

________________

The next morning, Amy’s friends immediately noticed how happy she looked, a stark contrast to her earlier worried demeanor.

"Whoa, Amy, what’s up?" Mia asked, raising an eyebrow. "You look… weirdly happy."

Amy beamed. "Well… I realized I really like Zahn, so I confessed. And now we’re officially dating!"

"WHAT?!" Her friends all gaped at her in shock.

Ruby nearly choked. "Wait—hold on—Elliot literally confessed to you, and you rejected him for Zahn?!"

Amy shot her an annoyed look. "I’m happy, okay?"

Mia smiled warmly. "I knew things would work out if you just talked to him."

Noah was still processing. "Well, that’s… surprising. But, uh, I guess if you’re happy, that’s what matters."

Ruby, on the other hand, was not pleased. "You might end up regretting this, Amy."

Amy frowned. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

Ruby sighed. "You don’t get it. Zahn isn’t the right guy for you. He’s cold, aloof. How are you even in love with someone like that?"

Noah laughed. "Geez, stop acting like Amy’s mom, Ruby."

Amy rolled her eyes. "You don’t know him like I do. He may act cold, but he has a soft side too. One day, I’ll break through that icy exterior completely!"

Ruby groaned. "Ugh, fine. Do whatever you want. But don’t come crying to me when it all falls apart."

Despite Ruby’s skepticism, Amy was undeterred. She was too happy to care.

Nothing else mattered.

She was finally with Zahn.

Amy looked forward to seeing how their relationship would unfold.