We pulled up at the park and sat there for a moment. But after Frazer had turned and opened his mouth to talk, he shook his head and threw the car door open instead.

Climbing out after, I followed him over to the swing set.

The playground was still barren of children, though we wouldn't have long. Once the primary school was let out and the buses arrived in the neighbourhood, our serene quiet was bound to be destroyed.

Nonetheless, nestled on the swings, we twisted and twirled, not saying anything for a moment.

Until eventually Frazer said, "I wasn't looking at anyone."

"You kept staring at the exact same spot the whole time," I muttered.

"It wasn't intentional. Or, rather, the who I was staring at wasn't intentional. I was just trying to not... look at you."

"Why?" I finally peered over at him, heart pounding loudly, cheeks flushing, desperation clouding my gaze as I begged him to say—

"I was scared of what you'd think of the song... of my confession." Ever so slowly his eyes trailed up to me, shyly meeting my gaze. "Because you're my best friend."

It felt like my heart had burst into a million pieces. Fireworks celebrated within me, and my eyes started to sting as I found myself falling into his eyes.

He looked away. "I started the song a couple of days after my birthday... after you acted like nothing happened."

I shook my head, trying to think back to that evening, though everything was clouded in a drunken blur. "I was all over you that night—"

"I know. And I thought you liked me too, but then you apologised the next day."

"Because I recall you rejecting me!"

"Rejecting? How was me telling you that I was falling for you a rejection?" His hands gripped at the chains as his head ducked lower.

"You... told me that?" The tears were now pooling in my eyes.

His face had turned so crimson now. "The whole chorus of that song is what I told you."

And as he said it, the memory became a little sharper. My love heart eyes, staring at him in adoration... it happened right after he had pulled me away from the group to tell me—

'I didn't mean what I said earlier. You're not just suitable. You... look good. I mean beautiful. I mean...' He sighed, looking anywhere and everywhere but me. 'Seeing you, talking to you, it's the highlight of my day.'

'But you said we are just friends.'

'Perhaps that's all we are right now... but I've fallen for you. And, if you feel the same, maybe we could stop being just friends.'

'Frazer,' I whispered, leaning closer to him, reaching to kiss him when suddenly a bubbling sensation rushed up my throat.

Turning to the side just in time, I vomited into the gutter.

Mortification resurfaced with the memory, but consuming me more was a sense of relief, of joy, of bliss.

"I guess it was all just the alcohol and your inner fangirl making you act like that though," he then said.

A scoff broke through my tears as I wondered how dense he was. How dense we both had been... liking each other while oblivious to the clear signs.

"Are you seriously laugh—" he started to say as he raised his head, snapping his attention to me. "Why are you crying?"

"Because you like me!" But I couldn't help burying my face in my hands as I tried to hide the stupid tears now making their way out unapologetically as the tension evaporated from my body.

He likes me.

Not anyone else.

Me.

"Does that fact upset you that much?"

"Upset?" I hiccuped. "Oh Frazer, you fool, I'm relieved!"

The swing creaked as he climbed off it, and the sand crunched under each step he took closer to me. "... relieved?"

"Yes," I blubbered, unable to meet his expecting stare. "All this time I thought I was just a friend."

He had crouched down in front of me, but I still refused to look at him. "But I'm always hanging out with you. Surely you realised—"

"No." I finally looked up at him, hating that my eyes and nose were probably splotchy and that my tinted moisturiser was definitely streaking now. "I didn't realise." I took a shaky breath before I gushed, "Every time I started to hope maybe you liked me back, you'd send me several steps backwards. Like calling me a friend. Or not talking to me for a whole day. Or telling me to not come to the music room anymore. Or staring at some other girl the whole—"

"I wasn't staring... Wait. Like you... back?"

"Obviously!"

"Then... but... how... Really?"

"Yes."

"Seriously?"

"Oh my gosh, yes!" a laugh broke through the sobs. But just as quickly I felt my body hiccuping once more as a smile of utter bliss spread across his face.

"Why are you crying again?" he tutted, hands ever so gently stroking my arm.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

Though the shit-eating grin couldn't be wiped. "Like what? A guy over the moon because the girl he's crazy about likes him back? I think my response is normal. You, Em, are the strange one."

Next I knew, one of his hands released its hold of me, moving instead to my face to brush away my tears.

And I almost melted as his palm rested on my cheek.

"You goose," he grinned.

"I'm not a goose!"

"Then stop exhibiting mega goose energy."

"You're the goose! Why couldn't you just confess to me like a normal person instead of pushing me away and then—"

"Because I was trying to be romantic! And... I don't know. For some reason singing my feelings in front of a crowd was less terrifying than telling you again how I felt. You rejected me the first time I tried to 'confess like a normal person'."

"I cannot be blamed for not remembering a conversation from when I was drunk."

"... Okay. That's fair. But—"

"But you should have told me the next day."

"I... I was scared. You said sorry. I thought it was your..." He sighed, shook his head, and stood up straight.

My eyes followed him, body still spasming as the sobs slowed. "Where are you—" I started to say.

But then he tugged on my arm, urging me to stand.

I followed his pull, barely gaining my balance when suddenly yanked me into his arms. Head pressed against his chest, his heart raced under my ear, all the while his arms wound around my back, holding me like he was never going to let go again.

We stood like that for a few moments, caught in our embrace as my tears finally ran dry and his heart seemed to be able to tolerate the proximity.

Then eventually he shifted back, green eyes gazing into mine with undeniable adoration. His arms released me, though in stepping away, he caught one of my hands in his. "Let me try this all again. Emilia, I like you. I think you're beautiful, and smart, and funny, and I never want a day to pass where we don't see each other. You're my best friend, but that doesn't feel close enough. I want more with you. I want everything with you. Do you, perhaps, feel the same?"

Dumbfounded and awestruck by his confession, I nodded. Because it was all I was capable of while hypnotised by his charm.

A grin stole his face—one that I didn't think anyone could wipe off his face for a long time—as he lifted my hand he was still holding to his lips. He pressed a kiss into the back of my hand before he breathed, "It would be nice if you'd at least say it back."

I swallowed, trying to clear my throat in the hopes I wouldn't sound strange when I spoke. Nonetheless, my voice still ended up squeaking when I said, "I like you too, Frazer."

And the grin grew impossibly wider. "Do you think we could start being more than friends now?"

I nodded again, scared my voice would betray me once more and made me uncooler than I already was with my red, splotchy face.

His smile softened and ever so slowly, his eyes trailed down, locking on my mouth.

I realised only once he started to lean in what he intended to do.

After his eyes had already closed, just before his lips met mine, I moved back.

His kiss met empty air, forcing his eyes back open.

"Sorry," I immediately said.

"No," he moved back, hand retreating from me as hurt clouded his face. "It was my fault for—"

"I just don't want our first kiss to be like this," I explained before he could dig himself into another hole.

His brows furrowed as he clearly struggled to grasp what had me perturbed.

"My face," I then said, waving at it.

He looked at me, and over me, and around me, yet the confusion remained. "What about it?"

"I know my eyes are red."

A chuckle escaped him, and his shoulders relaxed. He was clearly writing off my worries as pointless already. "They really aren't that bad. Besides, I think you're beautiful no matter—"

"And my nose is probably also red."

"Barely. But I'm not going to be look—"

"And I don't want you to look back at this and remember how much our first kiss tasted like tears and snot and—"

"Em, it's okay. I understand," he said, hands wrapping around me as he gently shook me from side to side to soothe me. "I'll just kiss you tomorrow then. Once you haven't been crying like a goose."

"I'm not a goo—"

But then his lips were on my cheeks, pecking up and down them. "For the record," he said as he switched to my other cheek, all the while I giggled and squirmed in his hold, "I think your tears taste delicious."

"You're so weird," I chortled.

He paused, pulling back to look at me while feigning offence. "You think this is weird?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed, but I immediately grew wary of the wicked gleam glossing over his eyes.

"Then just you wait until I lick your nose next." His hands flew to my face, holding it steady.

"No!" I gasped, then struggled harder against him. "Frazer!" I shrieked as he leaned in tongue wagging in the air threateningly. "Let me go!" I slapped at his arms.

Chuckling, he released my face, though he refused to let me distance myself. Instead, he pulled me back into his chest, head resting atop mine as he pressed kisses this time into my hair. "I think I need to write a song about this."

"About trying to eat my boogers? What a strange—"

"About how happy you made me today."

I snuggled even further into him in response.