‘She likes me?’

For a few moments, I stayed silent.

I couldn’t really process her statement. It was like she was speaking another language.

It felt like the world had stopped spinning and that my brain had stopped working.

‘Am I dreaming?’

I only considered that thought for a moment before discarding it.

It was too real to be a dream.

But if it was actually reality, how could this have happened?

‘Why would Aurora like me? I don’t remember showing any signs or anything. More importantly, why would anyone like someone like me? Could she be pranking me?’

I didn’t want to doubt Aurora, but I had to make sure.

“Are you being serious?” I asked, trying to not portray any emotion through my voice.

“Yeah. I’m serious,” she replied.

Now that I confirmed she was serious, I was forced to come to a decision.

To reject her, or to become her boyfriend.

‘Do I like Aurora?’

It felt sudden, having to think about something like this.

After all, for the whole time we’ve known each other, our relationship never really changed.

Whether she got a boyfriend or happened to be single, neither of us made that step.

I knew I enjoyed her company and cared for her as a friend, but what about a girlfriend?

She was pretty, and it’s not like I couldn’t imagine dating her.

But was that a good enough reason?

‘Is it wrong for me to date her without knowing I like her for sure? Would that be fair to her? Maybe I’m thinking about this wrong. I might like her just from the fact that I’d be willing to go out with her. In that case, it’d dumb for me not to.’

Like most other teenage boys, I considered having a girlfriend as a good thing.

So it felt like I was being offered an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.

‘Alright, chill. I’ve got to give her some response.’

With that, I made my decision.

Perhaps it was a bad one, or perhaps it was a good one.

Either way, it was my decision, and I was going to take responsibility for what happened next.

“Sure, I’ll be your boyfriend,” I answered, turning my head to meet mine.

Aurora’s lips curved upwards and became a pleasant smile.

“Great,” She said as she stood up from the bench.

Turning around and looking towards me, Aurora flashed a cheeky smile.

“Welp, I have somewhere to go. I’ll see you later my dear boyfriend,” she said with a wave.

Still in a daze, I waved back and watched as she began to walk away.

‘So I have a girlfriend now?’

For a few moments, I sat in silence.

It wasn’t for any particular reason or anything, I just didn’t feel like getting up.

But even though I didn’t stay sitting down just to think, I ended up letting my mind wander anyway.

‘Now that I think about it, what does it mean to love someone? I mean, liking someone is just being attracted to them and even though it’s confusing sometimes, I still have an idea of what it is. But what about loving someone? I know it’s cherishing someone, maybe getting infatuated with them, but I feel like there’s something more.’

Looking out onto the street, I began to fiddle with my fingers.

‘After all, those things can be rooted if things aren’t related to being in love with someone. So there must be something else. Maybe by dating Aurora I could find out what that thing actually is. What it means to be in love with someone.’

With that thought, I decided it was time to go home.

So I stood up, straightened my clothes, and began walking to the bus stop.

With every step, my heart began to beat faster and faster.

I mean, can you blame me?

I had a girlfriend.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down.

And as I did, I had one final thought.

‘What’s life going to be like now?’