CH: 40 PROPOSED

We just roamed around the streets without any purpose till evening as Eddie said that his plan begins at 7 pm, we went to almost every street market in our locality and even bought some goodies and snacks too, we were already full with snacks so we planned not to eat the lunch.

"Where are you planning to take me, Eddie, we've been roaming on these streets for almost 2 hours and I am seriously tired of walking now." I cling to his arm and rested my body weight on him, while I nagged about getting tired.

"We are already here Jacob, doesn't act like a baby, and it's been only 10 minutes since we started walking we recently took a break in that café for an hour." He replied as he pointed to the café we went in, a few minutes ago. I smiled cheekily as I still pull his arm and said, "But still Eddie I am so tired and I want to see what you have prepared for me, I am so excited."

"We are already here, just wait here and close your eyes; I'll be here in a minute." He said putting his palm on my eyes and continued, "Don't dare to cheat. OK!"

"I won't now please show me what you are planning to show," I replied after he removed his hands from my eyes, I was smiling from excitement, my eagerness was killing me. I waited there without saying anything and shutting my eyes, anticipating the surprise.

It already passed a few minutes and there was no sign of Eddie, "where are you, Eddie? I can't wait anymore. Eddie, Eddie, Eddie, Eddie..." I continuously chanted until I received a reply.

"Can't you even wait silently for a few minutes?" he replied while he held my hand and lead me somewhere as my eyes are still shut.

"You told me to wait for a minute, where are you taking me now?" I asked all excited for the gift that was waiting for me. I waited for his reply, but he didn't give me any answer and continued walking while holding my hand and I followed him like a 5-year-old kid follows his mother.

"Here we are." He said, making me smile wider and more eager. "Now you can open your eyes." He continued

I instantly opened my eyes, but at the same speed shut them down again, when an enormous amount of light hit my eyes, but when I opened my eyes adjusting my view with the surrounding I noticed I was no longer on the street where I waited for him. I was somewhere in a garden where was no trace of a single human, it was a silent place and I could barely hear any commotion. When I turned a bit to check the place further I noticed it was all decorated with golden and pink lights, I could only see those lights and everything else was overpowered by those lights.

I turned around to take a 360-degree view of my surroundings, I was delighted and confused at the same time that why I was here, but that brightness was, making me so happy that I ignored the fact of being in an unknown place which was all decorated with those colors, shiny shimmers.

I was so astonished with the beauty around me to check where Eddie was but, As soon as I came to my senses, I realized that Eddie was nowhere to be seen around me, I looked here and there to find any trace of him but I failed to find any, I sighed as I searched for a seat.

"Jacob." I heard someone calling my name and when I looked at the source of the voice I noticed it was Eddie, and he wasn't empty-handed, he was holding a large bouquet of roses. I smiled at his appearance; I made my way towards him and stood near him as I asked, "Are you the one who prepared all this?"

He just nodded without saying a word; my smile started reaching my eyes as I poked my nose into the bouquet to smell them, "they are so pretty." I cooed happily.

"Not as pretty as you, Jacob." He replied, smiling back at me.

"I know that." I joked as I giggled and expected the same reaction from him, but rather than laughing with me he took a few steps back from me making me confused, and suddenly sat on one knee, I was still trying to process that what he was doing, but I didn't get a single clue until Eddie spoke,

"Jacob, today is the day, when we completed five years of our friendship, we faced so many things, sorrow, pain, happiness, joy and so much more. It all started with a random meeting, and I never expected to meet you, well, I never knew you existed before that day. But after I met you there wasn't a single day when I thought of giving up on you or leaving you. You were just a friend to me at the start, but then you started becoming more than that to me, you started invading my heart, in every possible way a person can, I don't know if you feel the same but I want to express what I have in my mind."

He paused for a while as he put a hand in his pocket and took out a small box; I was scared, surprised and tensed at the same moment, I was thinking about "what is going to happen next, and what if he does what I am thinking about" and suddenly he blurted out the words I never wanted to hear from him, or maybe not in this way.

"I LOVE YOU JACOB." As soon as he completed his sentence I went into a deep shock, It wasn't like I hated him or didn't love him, but the case was I loved him as a friend, brother, he was like a mother to me who helped me out of my problems and supported me but I never loved him as a lover. I was zoned out in my thoughts when Eddie shook my hand and said, "What happened Jacob?"

"Eddie, listen first stand up from that position," I said, giving him my hand to stand up. His smile was gradually decreasing as he was maybe understanding where the things are going.

"Listen, Eddie, I never knew when you started developing those feelings, and I am not saying that they are wrong, but I am afraid that I will not be able to return those feelings to you. You are my best friend and one of the best people I've ever met. And believe me when I say I never want to end this friendship. I do love you Eddie but as a friend, as a family member."

I paused as I looked into Eddie's eyes, which were trying to hold back the tears, the tears of pain and heartbreak. I took a few steps towards him after I put the bouquet down, and gently pulled him in my embrace, wrapping my arms tightly around his shoulders. The regret started filling me as his tears fell on my shirt, the feeling of him breaking down started eating me inside.

"I am sorry Eddie, I never knew you had feelings for me, and neither I wanted to break your heart this way. I can not see you this way Eddie, I am sorry." I continuously apologized to him, we stood still in that position and none of us wanted to break that hug, his sniffling was audible enough to make me realize that he was still crying.

"It's ok Jacob, I am ok now. You are not the one at blame, it was me who predicted things and ruined our friendship," he said to break the unending silence between us.

"You are not wrong Eddie, just because you loved me doesn't make you wrong," I replied patting his back. He parted the hug and wiped his tears, "I am sorry Jacob."

"you don't have to be Eddie," I replied holding his hand as I caress his palm.

"I don't know how to say this but now as we are talking about this, I don't know maybe it is the right time or not, it is the right situation to tell this or not, but I want to tell you that I love Mason. I never wanted to hide it from you but I wasn't ready to tell you either but now I want you to know that. I know I am a fool telling you something like this right now when the situation is not so good, but I want you to know that."

As soon as I completed my words a smile appeared on his face, I tried to find any trace of tears in his eyes, as guilt started building in mine. I was about to open my mouth again to say something but I was cut off by his shaky yet soft voice,

"why you never told me about that, I am so happy for you but I am angry at the same time," he said as a pout formed on his wet lips.

I felt a stinging pain in the heart as his words started to Peirce me, I didn't waste any other second and pulled him into a hug. My tears were already making their way down from my cheeks, I was happy and sad at the same time. the feeling of having, such an understanding friend was making me glee but on the other hand; breaking the heart of the same person into pieces was making me woeful. I never in my dreams thought of doing such an awful thing to my dearest friend.

His hands also wrapped around my waist and soon I felt a wet sensation on my shoulder feeling my shirt getting wet as Eddie's tears fall on that piece of cloth. I didn't dare to break the hug but when Eddie removed his hands from my waist as a gesture of breaking the hug, I silently moved back.

"thank you, Eddie, I am really a mean friend and maybe I don't deserve a friend like you either, but please don't end this friendship here. I want you to be by my side as we used to be." I said as tears fell continuously from my eyes.

"We still are friends Jacob, and you aren't mean I was the one who overthought and concluded things like this. I will never break the bond we have. but promise me we won't get awkward just because what happened today." he replied wiping away my tears with his thumb and cupping my cheeks.

I rapidly nodded my head as I wanted the same, gaining a chuckle from him.

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