Chapter 26

“I’m in love with someone” Amy confessed in one breath, searching Bryan’s eyes for any form of reaction, at the same time waiting for his opinion.

Amy’s confession took Bryan by surprise. He wasn’t expecting such a news.

Was this the reason she called him over? He wondered, as he couldn’t understand why she was so scared of sharing such great news with Henry, who was always worried that his singleness was rubbing off on his daughter. He guess she wants to use him as a form of practice, to prepare herself for when she will break the news to her father, since neither of them saw it coming.

“Well, that’s great news” He finally said, giving her his total support and approval.

“You think so?” Amy asked, smiling in relief as she was anxious that Bryan wouldn’t approve, when he didn’t say anything for what felt like hours.

“Yes, I do… So, who’s the lucky guy?” Bryan asked, curious to know the name of the man that has won Amy’s heart.

Amy blushed at the question, too embarrassed to give an answer.

“C’mon princess, I’m not Henry. I won’t scare him away” Bryan said in an encouraging manner, as he noticed Amy was being hesitant.

“Fine, fine. It’s okay if you don’t want to reveal his name yet, but I would like to know something…” He decided not to pressure her into telling him the name of the man she is in love with.

She has her reasons for holding back and one of them could be that, she wasn’t yet ready to tell Henry of her relationship with this man, and she fears that if she mentions his name, he will reveal it to his best friend.

“Does he love you?” He asked instead because he wanted to make sure she was in good hands.

Amy didn’t reply to that, rather she turned her back to him, confusing him even more.

“Amy?... Does he love you?” He decided to ask again, just to make sure he wasn’t jumping into wrong conclusions.

“I don’t know” Amy eventually replied, with her back still towards him.

How could the imbecile not reciprocate Amy’s love? Is he blind or he’s too daft to notice her feelings for him? And why would Amy decide to go into such a relationship? Of all the guys out there, why did she decide to fall for someone who doesn’t cherish her? No wonder she doesn’t want to reveal his name, or even tell Henry about it because Henry will be furious if he finds out that his daughter isn’t treated right.

Just the thought of some stranger not giving Amy the love that she deserves infuriates him.

“Amy, what do you mean, you don’t know?... Make me understand” He tried again, suppressing his anger so that Amy would open up to him.

“I – I honestly don’t know… His gestures sometimes proves that he cares a lot, but… I can’t tell if he feels the same way” She carefully explained, finally turning around and facing him.

Bryan’s anger subsided a bit at her reply. At least he knows that the guy in question cares about Amy.

“He’s sweet, thoughtful and quite protective… He does so much for me and I sometimes wonder if I’ll ever be able to repay him” Amy continued, smiling to herself.

“He sounds like a great guy”

“He is, I promise” Amy quickly defended.

“So, does he know how you feel?” He then asked, to make sure he wasn’t misunderstanding the whole situation.

Amy shook her head in reply, nervously playing with her fingers. Bryan let out a deep sigh, internally grateful that he didn’t overreact earlier. This is just a matter of misunderstanding.

“What do you intend to do?” He wanted to know what she had in mind, so he could be of help.

“I don’t know what to do, but I can’t help it. I think about him all the time” Amy further confessed with desperation in her voice.

Bryan has never seen Amy this interested in anything or anyone. He felt so useless because this was a matter of love and it wasn’t in his power to do anything. Matters like this can only be sorted out by the parties involved.

“Have you thought of telling him how you feel?” Bryan suddenly suggested, as he could think of no other option.

“No, I haven’t… I don’t want to make a fool of myself” Amy replied in a small voice.

“Amy, I don’t know if I’m right, but this may just be a big misunderstanding”

“How do you mean?”

“You just told me he cares about you a lot..”

Amy nodded.

“Have you thought of the possibility that he may also be in love with you, but doesn’t know how to tell you?”

Bryan had to put two on two together from Amy’s explanation and he could only come up with this conclusion.

“So, what do you suggest I do?” She asked out of curiosity. She was eager to hear Bryan’s opinion.

Whatever he says will be of great help to her, as her mind was in a complete mess.

“Do what your heart tells you, Amy” He replied after giving a thought to her question.

“That isn’t going to help, Bryan, because the only thing my heart tells me, is to be with him”

“Then, tell him how you feel” Bryan encouraged, as he could tell from her body language that this issue was eating her up.

“If he truly cares about you, he wouldn’t hurt your feelings” He continued, when he saw the reluctance in her eyes.

“Whatever happens, just know that I’m here for you” He concluded.

“Really?”

“Yes, princess”

“Thank you so much… I’m glad I called you first” Amy said with a bright smile, as she excitedly joined Bryan on the couch.

“You can count on me, princess. Anytime” Bryan replied, returning her smile.

Amy’s demeanor suddenly turned nervous, as she looked anywhere but Bryan.

“Amy, what is it?” Bryan asked in concern, taking Amy’s hands. He couldn’t understand why her mood suddenly changed. He thought she was happy just some minutes ago.

“You really think I should tell him how I feel?” She quietly asked.

“Amy, if you don’t feel comfortable with it, then don’t do-“

“No, no. I want to do it, I really do. It’s just… I have a confession to make” she nervously bit her lips, her eyes not meeting his.

“You know you can trust me, princess” He placed his index finger under her chin and lifted her face so she was looking at him.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, concluding within herself that it was now or never.

Bryan waited patiently for Amy to tell him what else was bothering her. He didn’t comprehend what was going on until he felt something soft on his lips.

Before he could come to the realization that Amy was kissing him, she pulled away from the kiss.

“The man I’m in love with, Bryan, is you”