If you haven't read part one already... here's the link!

“How could I have been such an imbecile! Why did I never ask for her number!” I scolded myself over this minor omission. My only option now was to wait for her. Days, weeks, months, years had passed by, but my love for her never faltered. By now, I was a junior and my wish was granted. Years of waiting had paid off when I heard news of her arrival at the school.

I wanted to be the first to meet her, and so I zoomed down the stairs to greet her in the hallway. When I saw her, a plethora of emotions flooded my mind, reminding me of the night when I had first met her. She had not changed a bit.

“Emily! Emily! Emily!”

“Luke?”

We both ran to each other and hugged tightly for a few moments. There was no feeling which matched the one when I felt as I held her in my arms. My life felt incomplete without her. I wish I could disclose my feelings to her, but I never had the guts to.

“So, where have you been all these years?”

“You know, after my dad passed away, my mom and I were broke. We had to relocate while my mom worked six part-time jobs. Luckily, she met some guy who was willing to help us out. They got married, and my mom and I wanted were able to move back here.”

“Well, I have to go to my classroom. Time's a ticking. It was almost 8:25 a.m. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Alright then. Bye Luke!”

After a year, we had become close friends and frequently talked to each other. Then, one day, I could not enclose my love for her anymore, which brings me to this day in my senior year.

RINGGGGGG!

I began to sweat profusely.

Will Emily say yes? What if she says no? I decided not to think about any disastrous scenario.

With a freshly plucked rose from a plant I had been growing the moment she had left, I told her to wait a moment.

“Emily, there is something I have to tell you. I do not think I can keep this to myself any longer.”

“What is it?”

“I-I-I love you, Emily. There is no one whom I love more than you in this universe. Let the moon come crashing, or the sun collapsed, I will always love you till the end. My love for you is like a river — never ending. You are the light of my life, guiding me through obstacles. There is no one in this world like you. Every time I see you, you mesmerize me with your beauty, and I fall for it every time. I need you as much as a human needs air to breathe. Without you, I would never be who I am today, and so, I will treasure these memories and you as long as I can.”

With those lines, Emily smiled a smile so huge I had never seen before.

“YES. Oh, my god, I love you too Luke. I wanted to come back here just for you.”

However, secretly behind his back, Emily was already dating someone else. She really never thought of Luke as more than a friend. She was currently exploiting Luke.

“Luke, do you want to go shopping after school?”

“Yeah, sure.”

I could not believe that she had truly loved me as much as I had loved her. I impetuously spent thousands of dollars for her when shopping, knowing she would be the one I would marry. My grades were falling, but I knew it would be fine knowing it was because of our love.

Could I not do that for her since she waited for me all these years?

“Where would you like to go next, my darling?”

“Let’s go to a nice restaurant!”

When we arrived at the restaurant, we were astounded by the dazzling architecture. I realized that this meant more money out of my pocket, but it would be fine. It was all out of love anyway. Emily picked the most expensive options, but as usual, I was OK with it knowing it was all for love.

Could I not do that for her since she waited for me all these years?

I took her over to my house after dinner and let her stay the night. That night contained many pleasures which one could only ponder upon.

After a year of dating one another, we had to decide what we would do later since graduation day was near.

I said, “Emily, school may be over, but my love for you isn't. This is not a goodbye, my darling, this is a thank you. Thank you for coming into my life and giving me joy, thank you for loving me and receiving my love in return. Thank you for the memories I will cherish forever. I may be saying good bye now, but in all honesty, it is only a hard way of saying I love you.”

Emily did not even dare to glance at me. She flipped her hair, chewed her gum, and completely ignored whatever I had said.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.