Sitting on that icy bench at the station, I, who had run a lot to arrive on time, was determined to find out who was the person who had sent me that letter. In a moment of sadness after waiting for several hours, I decided to go home, but I was stopped by someone holding my shirt.

Hours before…

How far would you go to save the person you love the most? Or, what would you be willing to lose to have her by your side? It was in the midst of a rather funny incident that I found the one who would be the great love of my life, or at least, I thought it would be.

Nice to meet you, my name is Paulo. I turned 16 this year and I'm in my first year of high school, my grades are average, I'm not a fan of any sport and I love romance books, manga, anime or any story that contains romance. I always imagined myself in these stories, imagine something like that happening to me, how happy I would be. But, I don't think things like this would happen to me.

"Excuse me, can I sit next to you?" - she said.

A delicate and cute girl was standing in front of me holding her lunch.

“Oh, I'm sorry, yes you can,” I replied.

I sat a little away so that she could sit too, that breeze that passed on the school balcony caressed her beautiful blonde hair, a sweet orange fragrance, exhaled through the air, simply being close to such a beautiful and smelling girl made me feel nervous. Should I strike up a conversation or try to calm down a bit? What do I really do? I'm so nervous, I've never been this close to a girl like this, I'm even in a cold sweat. Wait, is this really normal?

"I'm sorry, but are you all right?" the girl asked.

When I turned towards her, our eyes met and she gave me a smile so bright, it made my heart race and my mind go haywire. Her beautiful smile had won me over. Is this what you call love at first sight? Or am I too hasty?

I nodded at her. In a failed attempt to strike up a conversation with the girl, I heard the school bell ring. Damn it, when I worked up the courage to talk to her, lunchtime was over. She said goodbye to me with a smile that shone like a ray of sunlight. Those beautiful pair of aqua blue eyes shone so brightly it made her pretty face glow.

When it was time to leave, I ran to the closet and when I opened the door a letter had fallen to the floor. Embarrassed, I put it away quickly and closed the closet. As I read it, I saw that it was a love letter. The sender had not written his name… Was this person so embarrassed that he forgot to sign his name?

Well, whatever, I got a love letter for the first time, I'm so happy I can jump up and down all the way home.

- Brother! What do you think you are doing? Leaving without your pretty, fluffy little sister? - A female voice could be heard coming from behind me.

The girl behind me who was giving me an infuriated look was my half sister, Julia. She is 14 years old and in her ninth year of high school. But, don't be fooled by her short stature and her angelic face, that has nothing of an angel, in fact, she is a devil in person.

She is always pestering me, following me around and always embarrassing me in front of other people with the famous line: "Brother, why don't you have a girlfriend?" Or "Brother, is the reason you don't have a girlfriend because you like men?" It's always the same. Well, not that I don't like girls, but lately I'm in love with 2d girls. I believe that I would not turn down dating a 3d girl. It would be really cool… Who am I kidding? It would be perfect, but luck doesn't smile on me that easily.

. . .

That starry night, sitting on that cold bench at the station, tired of running so much to be on time, I was determined to find out who was the person who had sent that letter, however, after being frustrated after waiting several hours and I decided to go home, I was stopped by someone holding my shirt as I walked. His head was down, as if he couldn't look me in the eye. The girl then sat down and with a wave gesture invited me to sit beside her. Was she really going to say something?!

Suddenly I heard small whispers, and her voice gradually increasing, it seemed like she was forcing herself to talk to me, but her words were stuck in her throat.

— Paulo, do you like someone? she asked.

As he tried to look me in the eyes, his shame was clear, like the crystalline waters of a small stream. Her voice was so low and at the same time sweet, it was as if she was trying to slowly make it natural and speak without stuttering.

— I hope you don't have anyone special yet, I wanted to tell you something. But, I still don't know how to tell you this in a way that you understand, so I ask you to just listen to me, then you can say your answer or if you want, you don't even have to answer - she said.

After saying that, she just turned to me and with shaking hands tried to hold mine. Looking down at her hand overlapping mine, she took a deep breath.

— We met when we were still in elementary school, you, that isolated nerd, caught my attention and I fell in love with you little by little. Your unusual way of always smiling when the third year boys (high school) made jokes with your name calling you Paula, or your optimism that was unshakable even suffering so much bullying at school, but, you were always with your head held high and always happy, what was that really?

Still shivering, the girl continued:

— Your care and dedication even in the smallest details called my attention, I couldn't believe that a person like that really existed until you appeared and it was watching you all this time that I fell in love with you. So, I really hope you can look at my feelings and realize that... I-I love you Paulo, please go out with me - she said, while holding my hand tight, my apathetic reaction soon turned into a reaction. astonished to hear that.

- What? I blurted out a question out loud in astonishment.

- I know it's quite sudden and maybe you don't even remember me, but please think about the answer and answer me... If you don't answer me I'll know I'm not enough for you - she replied.

Saying that, she just got up from the bench and left, when I got up and went to answer, the train passed and the noise drowned out my voice.

What a different night I had - I thought as I watched the train leave.

What was it really for me to say or answer?! I mumbled in annoyance.

Could it be that if I'm too sincere I'll hurt her heart? But I can't lie about my real feelings… I don't really know what to do, I'm stuck in this dilemma. I think I'll just go home for now, walking home will calm me down.

As I was walking home, my cell phone started to vibrate in my pocket and music played, someone was calling me, I picked up my cell phone and a strange number appeared on the screen. I answered suspiciously, on the other side of the call, a soft and slightly scared female voice was reverberating through my ear.

- Hey! - she said.

- Who is it? I asked already thinking about hanging up the call.

— I really couldn't work up the courage to declare myself! And so I sent you a letter, I hope you read it. It contains my most sincere condolences. I hope that one day we can meet and have a solid relationship, get married and have two children, fruits of our love and when we are very old I look at you and say "Yes, I made the right choice." I just wanted to tell you that I love you and I want to marry you, having a wedding with the person I love is a dream come true, I hope that when we meet one day you and I can get married. she replied, completely ignoring my question.

After saying that, she simply hung up, I tried to return the call but it always said the following sentence: "This number you called does not receive calls or does not exist."

Dude, what day was that? I received two confessions from completely different people and that I never had contact with any of them. This is really different from all the romantic fantasies I've ever imagined that would happen to me, this surpassed my expectations and surpassed the limits of all my imagination, I wish this was just a dream, but it was real! It is too real for a simple delusion or fantasy. The real world is really scary for people with overactive imaginations.

I really want to know what the future holds for me, but I'm just going to keep living in the present and just try to imagine the future or what will happen tomorrow - I thought as I submerged my whole body in the bathtub.

All these confusions started from my fantasies, I started fantasizing about these clichés and it seems that today it worked! Today really happened what I wanted the most, and it doesn't feel like a dream, it doesn't have to be a dream.

In many books, manga,Manhwa and light romance novels have the protagonist and the heroine that the two meet throughout the story and fall in love over the course of the plot.

In the light novel I'm reading it's completely different, the heroine makes the protagonist go in search of her, that he desires her and looks only at her. How they met is shown throughout the story, but because story novels are moreperfect than the ones in real life? 2d girls are more perfect than 3d (real) girls, I fell in love with a romance manga that was originally a light novel and was adapted into a manga, it tells the story of the heroine who goes in search of her beloved, however, her shyness and lack of courage, make her run from him and make him look for her, until in the end they meet and fall in love, and the hero chooses to stay with her alone and their relationship overcomes all the problems that came later their union.

There was a phrase that the hero once said to the heroine: "love is born from small actions".

I thought a lot and I think to this day what this phrase meant, or what he wanted to reveal to her, however, what he really wanted to say I don't think I will be able to understand until I fall in love with someone. How would it be if I found the love of my life, would it be so easy or would it be difficult to conquer her? I remember this morning well, one strange thing or several strange things happened one after the other.

***

First, my classmate who never bothered to say a word to me all these years and this morning, asked me if everything was fine with me, if I had accepted it right away or if I was still "depressed" with the situation that happened.

I didn't understand anything at first, so I decided to ask him what happened, but I don't know if it was deliberate or intentional, but Júlia immediately appeared behind me.

"Brother, what's this about you proposing to the most popular girl in school in the park last night?" - she said.

When she said that, I couldn't believe my ears, it felt like I had been "shocked" or punched in the stomach because I was paralyzed and all I could think was "what's going on?" A strong stomach pain hit me and I ran to the bathroom, while I was washing my hands the lunch bell rang, I left the bathroom confused and as I walked down the hall, I heard whispers from the other students talking about me, or I think it was me.

***

When the bell rang for lunchtime I headed to my favorite spot in the school yard and sitting under that tree in the schoolyard, I was having lunch and I don't know why, but the most popular girl in school sat next to me. On the other hand, we had never talked, I didn't even know her name but I knew that she was famous among everyone for excelling in studies, sports and the activities of the swimming club she participated in, I didn't know much about her or rather I wasn't interested not knowing anything about her so I didn't even know her name or anything, while I was having lunch she turned to me and stared at me, at first I didn't care, after a while it started to bother me, I looked at her and for 1 The minute she felt our eyes meet, she turned her face away in embarrassment.

"Excuse me, may I know why you're looking at me so much?" Is there something on my face? - I asked.

I tried to break the silence that reigned, bringing up a subject, she just looked at her skirt and hid her face with her beautiful red curls, her embarrassed face made her beauty radiant,

“Is this serious? A girl as beautiful as this, is she on my side? It looks like she wants to say something to me but doesn't have the courage or doesn't know how to say it. What is it? - I thought as I admired her beautiful face.

"If you look at me that much, I'll be embarrassed." - she said.

Her voice came out almost stuttering, how in sync we turned our faces to opposite directions at the same time, in all this situation the end of lunch bell rang and I couldn't even have lunch, I tried to eat lunch as fast as I could, she took herself cleaning dust on her skirt and a note fell from her skirt as she ran away.

I picked up the note and it said "meet me behind the school after class. signed Rafaela" I don't think she dropped it on purpose but, that was really weird. I ran to the classroom as fast as I could so as not to get scolded or fouled by the teacher.

Reflecting on that note, I was distracted the whole class and as if it were a blink of an eye the day passed and the classes ended, the time for deciding whether or not I was going to the place arrived, could it be that before the start of the summer vacation, will i have a romance?

What will happen in this conversation? Afraid of what would happen there, and quite nervous I also took quick steps, turning the block she had her back to me, the breeze was blowing in her skirt and caressing her beautiful hair.

"I'm here, what business do you have with me?" - he said without hesitation.

And as if she was angry she grabbed my tie and pulling it down she faced me, her face so close to mine and her sweet smell made me dizzy.

"Do girls really smell like that?" - I thought.

As she tugged at my tie.

"I-Excuse me, if you don't mind, could you loosen my tie, it's suffocating me," I told her.

In order for her to release me. Gradually her hand let go of my tie and she looked deep into my eyes.

“Are you the one spreading this news, that you declared yourself to me, and I dumped you? - she said.

After saying that, his angry expression changed to one of shame, and his gaze fixed on mine seemed to take a different turn.

I promptly countered her accusation by saying that I didn't even know she existed until that moment, her hand closed in the shape of a fist and she hit me in the stomach with a punch, I knelt down in pain, her face started to run down tears and she ran away while I was crying, I felt tightness in my chest I had never made a girl cry, what do I do? Do I apologize to her, or do I try to justify myself? what if she hits me with that power punch of hers again? It's time to go home, as I head home I think more about the situation and make a decision about what to do.

Upon opening my closet. A small picture fell out, in it I was holding hands with a girl, her face was blurred with a flash of light.

— Eh?! I do not remember this. Who will this girl be? - he said while looking at that photo.

On the back of the photo was written: "We will be together forever."

- Wait! These words were what I said to him. How is it written on this photo? Who knows about this promise? - I wondered.

I packed my things and headed towards my house, what happened today and this photo make me think about what I do.

***

There were a lot of things that didn't fit and I didn't know what to do, this person who came out of nowhere, seems like he's known me for years and is playing mind games with me, I suck at these games and I hope this person shows up soon .

What happened today made me feel bad, I made a girl cry what kind of person I had become, not to mention that the chance to live a romance was also lost, I am a failure even at failures, I will apologize to her when to see at school, this was a serious mistake to my pride as a man.

I confess that the moment she grabbed my tie I was scared of her, and I don't know why but her face changed to an embarrassed face as if she couldn't look me straight in the eyes, because she's one of the most popular girls in school I I think thatI'm going to catch a lot of df axishers and thisu atis afraid to go to school tomorrow.

There was a saying that said "don't leave for tomorrow, what you can do today" thinking about it, I'll answer her confession, I'm ready for what will happen after that.

As the hours of the day passed, my anxiety seemed to increase, I wasn't disturbed by Júlia today, at lunch I didn't find her or Rafaela, I would have even started to like that day if I hadn't had an obstacle in my way.

— Hey boss! How is this strength? I brought you quality content, it was almost impossible to find it. — Herick said, handing me magazines wrapped in an envelope, his joy was evident on his face and his agitation looked like it would explode at any moment. I didn't even open the envelope and I already put it in my bag for fear of being inappropriate magazines.

"Boss, won't you take a look at the stuff?" It is of excellent quality. - he said pulling me by the shirt insisting that I open it, because he disturbed me to open the envelope I ended up giving in.

When I opened it, I came across several inappropriate magazines, when I thought about putting it away, the teacher put her hand on my shoulder and pulled the envelope from my hands.

- Well well! What do we have here! I think the director will enjoy talking to you. she said wryly.

- Teacher! I can explain, these magazines are not mine. I replied already distressed and nervous.

- Please! Would you be so kind as to remove yourself from my room?! she replied.

Looking at the magazines in the envelope, she simply put it on her desk and sent me straight to the principal's office.

Nobody likes to go to the director's office, there's a scary aura inside and the director is always scary, damn Herick, he's the one who put me here and saved himself I'm going to beat him up.

"And then Mr. Paul. What do you have to say about what happened? said the director.

with a rough tone.

I just lowered my head, there was nothing I could say in my defense, I was about to receive a punishment for my act (which Herick caused)

— Mr. Director! I'm sorry, I don't even know how to answer this, but I'm very ashamed of what happened, forgive me. - I answered.

I tried to alleviate the situation, for a moment I thought I had succeeded, but my attempt failed completely.

"knock knock"

A girl with long hair and a slender body appeared in the doorway:

- Director! The parents of the student in question are already here. she said in a delicate, sweet voice.

The director asked me to leave and then, when I was heading towards the door, I saw my father coming in,

— I let go. I thought nervously.

Seeing the angry look my dad threw me, I broke out in a cold sweat after seeing him.

Upon returning to the school yard, the bell for recess rang and I was sitting on the garden bench, Herick approaches and sits beside me.

— Hey boss, did you like your present? - he said.

His enthusiasm was ridiculously visible.

I just put my head down and let him talk to himself. My head was full of thoughts, what the principal was talking about with my parents, my biggest fear was getting home, I'm screwed, really screwed.

I went back to my room after recess, I sat in my chair and when I picked up the notebook a note fell to the floor, I bent down and picked it up quickly, already putting it in my pocket, suddenly my cell phone vibrated in my pocket, I had received a message from someone.

"Come to the terrace at the end of the fifth period."

When I read that message I got excited, the person I was going to call to answer his confession ended up calling me to go to the terrace, that made me super happy.

At the end of the sixth period, that moment has finally arrived, it's time to find her and answer her confession. What do I answer? I'm still a little nervous and this is my first time responding to a confession, I'm nervous, anxious, in a cold sweat and have a huge stomach ache

"Stop being cool dude!" just answer a simple confession. Bad would be if you made the confession. Stop being cool and just do it. — I said to myself.

In an attempt to calm myself, I took a deep breath and walked towards the terrace. My legs were shaking like green sticks.

Every step I climbed towards the terrace seemed so long, what was all this nervousness about?! Am I afraid of hurting her feelings, or am I just afraid of her reaction to my response. What do I do, what do I do?

After long and tortuous steps that seemed to never end, I finally reached the terrace door, my heart was beating so hard, my hands were shaking and sweating a lot, I opened the door slowly and took slow steps, trying to keep my balance, but it seemed impossible. when you were as nervous as I was at that moment. For the first time I'm scared!

"I can't go back anymore!" I got this far didn't I? I decided to be here in this moment, and I decided to face everything that will come later, so if I give up now, what's the point of me having advanced so much?! I said to myself.

Trying to motivate myself to keep going.

Is she already there waiting for me? It can't be, I'm not even prepared, but I've come this far so it's time to answer her properly, even from afar I can smell her, she smells so good, do girls smell so good? What I'm thinking about, focus Paulo, focus. Focus on your goal.

In front of her I felt extremely nervous, the light breeze that caressed her beautiful and silky blonde hair, brought a light scent of strawberry to the air, it left me with a blank mind.

- Hey! I'm glad you came, I need to talk to you, you're the only one I can trust to tell you this. - She said.

While holding the hem of her skirt, her face flushed, highlighting her beautiful face, I tried to answer but the words didn't come out, I took a deep breath and tried to calm down and then start talking.

- Hey! I'm sorry for taking so long to answer your confession, I thought a lot and didn't even realize that so much time had passed, firstly I wanted to say that you look very beautiful, and that I was very happy for the opportunity to receive my first confession, I really am very happy, but... - I replied to her with my voice cracking.

— Pauloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, where are you? said Julia.

Showing up just in time and interrupting what I was saying.

What the ****, it took me so long to work up the courage to talk to her and Julia goes and gets in my way, she always gets in my way with everything.

When she sees me near the garden railing, she approaches and grabs me by the tie, ignoring the person next to me.

"Brother, you idiot!" Daddy is calling you, he wants you to go to the principal's office right away. - She screamed, her voice echoed in my ear followed by a throbbing buzz, she then turned around and noticed the girl beside me, her serious expression turned into a malicious smile, her intention could be perceived from miles away, she would definitely piss me off.

— Hmmm! So my brother really stopped liking men?! and finally came to like women. What a beautiful advance in, now just stop being a ****** all at once soon. - she said.

She then let go of my tie and lightly punched my shoulder.

"She's completely annoying!" why does this only happen to me?! - I thought.

- I'm sorry! Can you lend me my brother? she said as she pulled me by the arm.

Heading to the principal's office, I couldn't finish talking to her, but I'm going to make sure I have another opportunity soon, whatever the cost. I won't let anyone get in my way again.

If I survive that conversation with the principal and my dad, I'm going to try to answer that girl again, I'm going to pray that I survive.

Arriving at the director's office door, I feel my pocket begin to vibrate, and music takes the silence out of that environment, I picked up the phone to see who was calling me and that same unknown number was calling me again.

"What did he want?" And why are you always calling me? I thought as I answered the call.

"Riiiing Riiiing"

- Hey my love! - she said.

-- Hey! Who is it? I replied.

— I hope you're enjoying your time at school, did you find out who I am? she asked.

"Why don't you say who you are right away?" I answered sharply.

— We are one step away from meeting and being together forever, because you are my beloved, mine alone! I hope no one takes you from me, I'll be waiting for you very soon, don't forget that I love you. - she said.

- What are you talking? I asked.

But she completely ignored me and just hung up on me, I didn't try to call back so I didn't hear the same message as the first time I called.

This is so frustrating, Receiving a call and not knowing who is calling me, but it reminds me of the cliché that happens in my favorite manga, where the protagonist always calls the protagonist and she can never say who she is out of shame and wanting to let him look for her, long to find her, and have eyes only for her.

Is this what is happening to me? And who is the girl who is always calling me wanting me to look for her?