What tore at you the most was the light in his eyes. It was so vibrant and full of excitement as he eyed the rows of flowers with his fingers pressed to his chin. His voice floated around you, animated as he weighed the options, but you couldn’t let yourself really listen. Listening would mean confronting the ache in your chest and you knew you’d break.

For days, Kunigami had been bursting with anticipation for this date. His nervous energy blended with a joy that was almost infectious.

As his closest friend, you’d been the one he leaned on, the one he asked for advice. You’d listened as he confessed how long he’d waited to ask this girl out, every word was a gut punch.

You wished it were you he wanted to take out. You wished it were your name that made his eyes shine like that.

He turned to you suddenly, breaking into a grin as he held up two bouquets, one in each hand. One pink, the other yellow. “Which one do you think she’ll like?”

The words gnawed at your insides, your stomach knotting painfully. Part of you wanted to just blurt out your own favorite color. Scream and tell him that he didn’t need to look any further. But you swallowed it down. You forced a smile instead.

“Maybe the pink, huh?” he said, glancing back at the bouquet, still uncertain. He let out a soft groan, shaking his head. “Come on, help me out here!”

And you did. Even though it hurt more than he could ever know.