- A Box of Chocolates and confessions

                                        

                                              
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"Hey, beautiful. I have a surprise for you," Roland said over the phone, his voice soft with excitement.
"Hi, Roland. What’s the surprise?" I asked, curiosity already dancing in my chest.
"Go to your door and open it. You’ll see. I had someone deliver it. It’s something special."
With a half-smile tugging at my lips, I set the phone down and made my way to the door, my mind spinning with possibilities. But nothing could’ve prepared me for what I saw when I opened it.
There he was—Roland himself, standing with a box of chocolates in hand, his eyes warm and full of affection.
Without thinking, I threw my arms around him. "Oh my God, this is the best surprise ever!"
His arms wrapped around me, steady and safe, holding me like he’d missed me as much as I’d missed him. In that moment, I didn’t care about the quiet ache in my chest or the uncertainties that had clouded my week. This—this moment—felt full. Real.
"Come in," I said, stepping aside with a grin. "Have a seat."
He settled into the couch like he belonged there. And maybe, he did.
"So, I got a call from my cousin," I began, tucking my legs under me. "Turns out he’s been in town for a while now. Lost my number after changing phones, but he finally reached me."
"Oh, that’s nice," Roland said, nodding. "What’s his name?"
"Jesse. Do you know him?"
He thought for a moment. "No, doesn’t ring a bell."
"That’s okay," I replied, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "You’re actually looking... better. Feeling better too?"
He looked at me more carefully. "When are you coming back home?"
I hesitated, then said, "I don’t know. I woke up with a slight headache this morning."
"Oh, I’m sorry to hear that," he said, concern flashing across his face.
"It’s fine. I’m fine now," I reassured him with a soft smile.
To lighten the mood, Roland pulled out his phone and opened a movie he’d queued up just for us. Something about the way he did it—no words, just comfort—settled the air between us.
The movie turned out to be surprisingly good, and for over two hours, we just sat there together. No expectations. No pressure. Just quiet warmth, chocolate between us, and a 온라인카지노게임 unfolding on the screen.
But the real 온라인카지노게임—the one that mattered—was the one we were writing right then.
                          
                          ••••
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I woke up the next day feeling... different. Better, somehow. For some reason, I really wanted to go home. But not entirely — not with Richie still around. He'd been so fun, so good to me, and I knew I’d miss him more than I cared to admit.
But before I could sink deeper into my thoughts, there was a knock at the door.
Mark.
I didn’t expect to see him — but I was happy I did. Just seeing his face brightened my morning.
> “Hey Lilly, how are you? I’ve missed you,” he said as he walked over and wrapped me in a hug.
“I’ve missed you too,” I replied softly, sinking into the comfort of his arms.
Then, suddenly... he pulled back, looking nervous — but determined.
B  “Lilly, I want to ask you something. I know I love you, and I know you love me too. So… please, do me the honour of being my girlfriend,” Mark said, leaning in for a kiss.
Obviously, I wouldn’t push him away — I kissed him back.
In that moment, I felt this wild spark of emotions swirl in my chest—and weirdly, it felt good. Like, really good! Butterflies? More like a whole zoo.
Then Collins walked in.
“Lilly, I’m so so—” he started, but froze the second he saw me pull away from Mark.
At the sight of him, I instantly stepped back from Mark. Collins’ eyes flared.
“Ohh, this is why you pushed me away when I tried to kiss you? It’s because of this guy?!” he snapped. “Well, I know what to do.”
Before I could even react, he stormed over to Mark and—bam!—punched him right in the face. My jaw dropped. I knew that was it—Mark wouldn’t let that go. And sure enough, Mark struck back.
But then Collins said, “Even though you’ve known Lilly longer than I have, that doesn’t mean you love her more than I do.”
He looked at me with a fierce mix of pain and passion, then added, “I’ll call you later,” before walking off.
The whole thing was like a live drama unfolding—two guys fighting over me. I could see the rage in Collins’ eyes, but when he looked at me... it softened. And so did my heart.
“Lilly, I need to explain something to you,” Collins said.
“Okay, go ahead,” I replied, trying to hide the storm of emotions inside me.
“I love you, Lilly. I’ve loved you since we were kids. But I was scared—scared that if I told you, our friendship would be ruined. So I kept it to myself,” he confessed.
“And the kiss with Caroline?” I asked, my voice sharp.
“She kissed me. I didn’t kiss her. I don’t feel that way about her, and you should know that.” He stepped closer, eyes locked on mine. “Lilly, I’ve known you liked me for a long time. And honestly, I liked you too. But I didn’t want to rush you. I thought when you were ready to move forward, I’d be there, ready to make a move too. But then—just when I came to see you and apologize—I saw you kissing another boy.”
I could still remember the look on his face. “I remember how furious you were when you thought I kissed Caroline. How do you feel now?”
My heart melted. Suddenly, the anger I held slipped away. I knew I loved him. I still do. And I always will.
“Pls Lilly, will you be—”
His phone rang, slicing through the moment like a blade. He answered it quickly, his face turning serious.
“I’ll see you later, OK? Be safe,” he said before heading out.
“You too,” I murmured as he left the room.
And just like that… I was alone again, left with one question echoing in my head like a drumbeat.
Mark? Or Collins?
Collins? Or Mark?
Who would I choose?
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