Chapter 17: A Blooming Confession

Shiori's heart raced, pounding fast as if time had stopped. The train station was bustling with activity, but in that moment, everything around her faded into the background, as if the world had become distant. She looked at Rei, who was just a few steps away, with a train about to depart from the opposite platform. The harsh, metallic lights on the station walls flickered in their eyes. The sound of the train grew louder, but it seemed to disappear compared to the feeling Shiori was having, rushing toward her.

"Shiori," Rei whispered, her voice barely audible over the roar of the arriving train, with an expression of surprise, searching Shiori's face as if looking for something hidden within.

Shiori locked eyes with Rei, her chest heavy with the words that almost escaped her. But time was running out, the crowd pressing in on them, and the train doors were about to close.

Without thinking too much, Shiori stepped forward, her hand reaching out to grab Rei's arm. Her heart screamed in hope.

"Don't leave!" she whispered, her voice thick with pain, unsure if she could bear to let her go.

Rei didn't quite understand at first, stepping back a little, but her eyes searched Shiori's face, as though seeing something new in her expression. In that moment, nothing existed except their breaths mingling and their hands entwined in the crowd.

Shiori's feelings boiled—fearful of everything but also driven by a strange new courage that arose in her heart. Without thinking, she stepped even closer, feeling Rei's warmth near her, hearing the train's whistle cutting through the emotions that were beginning to burst within her.

"I'm sorry..." Shiori cried, her voice breaking with emotion. "I was scared. I thought I could stay away, but I was wrong. I needed you. I've needed you all along. Rei, I love you. I've loved you since you walked into my shop, holding marigolds..."

And her heart stopped for a moment before saying the words she had feared to say her whole life, but she knew now she had no choice.

Then, time stood still, and the lights around them faded, leaving only them in a place known only to their hearts.