Chapter 1 THE LETTER
Beatrice had liked Lucas for years.
It was a secret she had carried quietly in her heart, even though she sometimes wished she could tell someone. Every time she saw Lucas at school, something inside her changed. His smile could make her forget whatever was worrying her, and hearing his voice was enough to make her heart beat faster.
Lucas, however, had never looked at Beatrice the same way.
To him, she was simply a girl from school. They knew each other, greeted each other sometimes, and occasionally spoke when they happened to be around the same people. He had no idea that Beatrice had spent years secretly admiring him.
Beatrice knew she was taking a risk by continuing to hide her feelings. But whenever she thought about telling him, fear stopped her.
What if he laughed at her?
What if he rejected her?
What if he told everyone at school?
Those thoughts always made her change her mind.
One afternoon, Beatrice sat on her bed, holding her phone. She had been looking at Lucas's picture for several minutes without realizing it. She smiled to herself before quickly locking the phone.
“Why do I like him this much?” she whispered.
She dropped the phone beside her and lay back on the bed.
A few seconds later, her best friend Bella entered the room.
“You look like you're thinking about something serious,” Bella said.
Beatrice sat up.
“Nothing.”
Bella stared at her.
“Nothing?”
“Yes.”
Bella laughed.
“Let me guess. Lucas?”
Beatrice immediately looked away.
“Why do you always know?”
“Because every time you start acting like this, it's because of Lucas.”
Beatrice sighed.
“I don't know what to do anymore.”
Bella sat beside her.
“You've liked him for years. Why don't you just tell him?”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because I'm scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“Of his answer.”
Bella smiled.
“Then don't tell him face-to-face.”
Beatrice looked at her.
“How?”
“Write him a letter.”
“A letter?”
“Yes. Write everything you want to say. You can tell him exactly how you feel without having to stand in front of him.”
Beatrice thought about it.
It actually sounded like a good idea.
She got up, took a sheet of paper and a pen, then sat at her table.
For a while, she simply stared at the blank page.
Bella smiled.
“Just write from your heart.”
Beatrice took a deep breath and started writing.
She wrote that she had liked Lucas for a very long time. She explained that she had always been too afraid to tell him because she didn't know how he would react.
She wrote about how happy she felt whenever she saw him and how she often thought about him even when he wasn't around.
Finally, she wrote the words that scared her the most.
She asked Lucas if he would give her a chance and become her boyfriend.
When she finished, she read the letter several times.
“I actually wrote it,” she said quietly.
Bella smiled.
“Now you have to give it to him.”
The next morning, Beatrice arrived at school with the letter safely inside her bag.
She kept touching the bag to make sure the letter was still there.
When she saw Lucas standing with his friends, her heart immediately began beating faster.
Bella noticed.
“Go.”
Beatrice shook her head.
“I can't.”
“You can.”
“Bella…”
”Beatrice, you've already written the letter. The difficult part is finished.”
Beatrice took a deep breath and walked toward Lucas.
He noticed her approaching.
“Beatrice, what's up?”
She stopped in front of him.
Her hands were shaking.
“I have something for you.”
She brought out the folded letter and gave it to him.
Lucas looked at it.
“For me?”
Beatrice nodded.
“Please read it later.”
Before he could ask another question, she turned around and walked away quickly.
Lucas watched her leave.
Later that day, when he was alone, he opened the letter.
He read every word.
His expression slowly changed.
“So she likes me,” he said to himself.
He read it again.
Beatrice had liked him for years.
She wanted him.
She wanted a relationship with him.
Instead of thinking about how much courage it must have taken for her to confess her feelings, Lucas began thinking about something else.
He realized how deeply she liked him.
He thought she would probably do almost anything to keep him.
A small smile appeared on his face.
“If she likes me this much, I can do whatever I want.”
The following day, Lucas approached Beatrice after class.
“Beatrice.”
She turned around.
“Yes?”
“I read your letter.”
Her heart started beating quickly.
“And?”
Lucas smiled.
“I'll date you.”
Beatrice stared at him.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
A huge smile appeared on her face.
She had imagined this moment many times, but now it was finally happening.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
Lucas nodded.
“Okay.”
He walked away.
Beatrice stood there smiling.
For the first time, she felt like the girl she had always wanted to be.
She had Lucas.
The boy she had secretly loved for years had finally agreed to become her boyfriend.
She didn't know that the relationship she had dreamed about would eventually become the reason she cried.
She didn't know that the person she trusted most would become the person who would hurt her the most.
For now, all she knew was that she was happy.
