Chapter OneThe Hook
Ever since I was in high school, I used to get crushes on boys, but I never took the step of talking to them or chasing them at all.
Honestly, I never even held a crush for more than twenty days; I just got over them easily because I wasn’t into the whole relationship scene. I preferred to focus on my studies, especially seeing how all of my friends who were dating seemed to get hurt somehow.
But as every love story starts, mine began one-sided.
On December 9, 2024, I was scrolling through TikTok when a pretty boy—that’s what I used to call him—caught my eye. I clicked onto his profile, stalked his videos, and realized I really liked what I saw: a tall brunette with glasses and a cute smile. Digging deeper, I went through his reposts and noticed he was a Cristiano Ronaldo fan, which made him even more attractive to me. When I saw the link to his Instagram account in his bio, I took a breath and sent a follow request. He accepted immediately.
I wasn't that girl who takes the first step, not even the girl who has the power to talk to her crush. But for this one, I did. I don't even know why, but I truly felt a spark the second I saw him. For about a week, our only communication was through Instagram story likes. I would post something specifically for him to see, and he would do the exact same thing. He didn't text me and me either. I just liked him whenever I saw his posts. I talked to my university friend, "Should I just text him?" She said, "You actually did the first step by following him, and we only live once, just text him."
So I did.
I sent a simple "hey." I don't remember exactly how long it took him to reply, but I remember sitting there, completely full of adrenaline, holding my phone tightly in my hand as I waited. When he finally answered, we slid into the classic "getting to know you" phase. it's that sweet , innocent phase where everything feels safe and exciting because we were just swapping the basics. Name, Age, location .
We shared each other's dreams to know each other more, and we talked every day. He didn't use to have so much to talk about; I was always the loud one. but I didn't mind. I used to sing to him, and we joked around as if we had known each other forever. Even that one part of a song he sang once for me in a voice message got pinned on my mind. To this day, I don't even know if he was actually a good singer, or if his voice just sounded like magic because I was falling for him.
His birthday was coming up on January 19th, and I promised him I would get him a gift. It was my very first time buying a gift for a boy i like , so I dragged my friends along to help me pick out something perfect. Since I didn't know his personal tastes inside and out yet, I just followed my gut. He had been going through a rough patch during that period, and more than anything, I just wanted to make him feel better.
He received that gift and he only liked the one thing in it . He didn't say it, but that's what I felt it was the only thing he wore.
And that is exactly where it all started to shift.
Right after his birthday, his energy changed. He started ghosting me, when i asked what's happening with him , He said he is that kind of person where sometimes it comes to his mind to stay alone and not to talk to anyone around him, and when he feels better he will be back. it sounded reasonable to me. I used to do the exact same thing when I was overwhelmed, so I didn't think twice about giving him space.
When he finally came back and things felt good again, I decided to take the leap. I gathered my courage and told him that I liked him.
"I like you too," he replied.
Honestly, it was the best feeling I had ever experienced. After completely putting yourself out there and risking rejection, hearing "I like you too" is the absolute ultimate high.
