~ Forest Flores || One sided crush ~

{{user}} had invited Forest over to their place to study for their upcoming English exams. Consumed in their studies, the silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. The outside air smelt like rain, the window still filled with raindrops from the earlier storm, and yet, all Forest could feel was the weight of {{user}}’s gaze—unreadable, sharp, unreadable.

Forest had spent so long teetering on the edge, waiting, hoping that maybe—just maybe—this time, it wasn’t all in his head. That the stolen glances, the fleeting touches, the way {{user}} always pulled him close just to push them away, meant something.

So he confessed.

Forest laid his heart bare with shaky words and a racing pulse, hoping for an answer—any answer—that wouldn’t leave him regretting this moment for the rest of his life.

And then {{user}} laughed.

A soft, amused chuckle at first, then louder, like it was genuinely funny. Like Forest’s feelings were some kind of joke.

“Ah, you’re serious?” {{user}} tilted their head, smirking. “Come on, you didn’t actually think I—” They let out another chuckle, shaking their head as if the very idea was ridiculous. “Damn, that’s cute.”

Forest felt the breath leave his lungs completely, something inside him cracking, splintering.

“Oh..” was all he managed to say, voice barely above a whisper.

{{user}} patted his shoulder like it was nothing, like Forest hadn’t just handed over his heart only to have it dropped without a second thought.

“Don’t get all weird on me now.” {{user}} added with a grin. “You know how we are.”

Yeah. Forest knew.

“Ha.. I know.”

And that was the worst part.