Lydia was doing the plank on her bed. After listening to Debra and Michelle talk for a while, she cut in, "Debra, you may need to buy Michelle another birthday gift."
"Why? Michelle likes orchids. Why can't I give her an orchid as a birthday gift?" Debra asked.
"Michelle doesn't like orchids, Leon does. She did something wrong to Leon, so she's planning to use it as some sort of peace offering." Lydia looked at Michelle. Michelle had told her what she had done to Leon last night.
Debra didn't believe her at first. "You don't like orchids, Michelle?"
"No, I don't,"
Michelle answered. 'Why is it always about Leon?'
Debra thought. Ever since Leon appeared, Michelle became so attracted to him that it was almost unbearable.
Even some siblings were not that close, and yet Michelle and Leon were not siblings.
Then, all of a sudden, an idea popped into Debra's mind. Out of nowhere, she blurted out, "Michelle! Are you falling in love with Leon?"
Michelle gasped and held back her tongue. She became so flustered that she had to look down to avoid her gaze.
Lydia smiled but kept silent.
'So it's true!' Debra glanced at Michelle and Lydia, and she knew she was right. She froze. It was all too much for her to process. "Michelle! You...you...like..."
Before Debra could finish, Michelle rushed to cover her mouth. She looked at her eyes and felt so embarrassed that she wanted to bury herself underground where nobody could see her.
"Shh!" A look of panic flashed across her eyes. "Don't say it! Keep it a secret, okay? Can you keep it a secret for me, Debra?"
"Okay!" Debra nodded repeatedly. Slowly, Michelle removed her hand from Debra's mouth. As soon as she did, Debra burst into joy.
"Michelle, you are finally in love with someone. But it's a bit too late, don't you think? You are twenty-one, and will finish school soon."
"I agree with Debra," Lydia echoed with a smile. "But it's still a piece of good news."
"Stop it!" Michelle's face turned red when her friends made fun of her.
Debra couldn't help but pinch her plump cheeks. "Congratulations! Have you confessed to him yet?"
"No, not yet." Michelle looked down. "He doesn't know I like him."
"Of course he won't know if you don't tell him! Silly girl." Debra squeezed her face with both hands. "If you like someone, you should tell him!"
Michelle was already used to them rubbing her face. "Leon doesn't like me," she pouted. "He only sees me as his sister. Just like Nini."
"But you're different from Nina." Debra removed her hands from her cheeks and patted her head. "First of all, your surname isn't Lu. Second, you and Nina are completely different both in looks and personality. So how can Leon treat you like a sister if you're nothing like her?"
Michelle brushed Debra's hand away from her head and sighed in frustration. "I can only like Leon in secret. In fact, it's much better if I hide my true feelings from him. That way, I can stay with him."
"I'm so disappointed." Debra never had a secret crush on anyone before. She would woo the boy she liked and would give up if her affections weren't reciprocated. She didn't know the bittersweet feeling that came from keeping her crush a secret.
Lydia stopped doing her plank and wiped her sweat with a tissue. "There are three possibilities if you confess your love to Leon. First, Leon will reject you and you'll never talk again. Second, he'll reject you and you'll remain friends, but things will be awkward between you. Lastly, he'll reciprocate your feelings and you'll start dating.
If the last scenario happens, that will be great. But how likely is it considering Leon is still looking for his ex-girlfriend?" The question she threw made them consider all the possible outcomes.
Michelle sat back on her chair and became quiet.
"You mean Leon is looking for his ex-girlfriend?" Debra asked.
"Yes." Lydia nodded, so did Michelle.
"Okay." Debra sat beside Michelle and patted her head again. "Poor girl. It sucks that you can't tell him how you feel. But you should do something to draw his attention. You can't just do nothing."
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