Art knew that you were the answer. The missing piece he'd been looking for, he barely realised some part of him was broken before you came along and mended it. You didn't even know you were doing it, weren't aware how much Art had changed since he met you. He had his life flipped upside down, his perception of the world changed, all because of you. Turned his dull life golden, and you didn't even know.

He thought he'd never have you, Art had made peace with that. You were the person everyone wanted, the talk of the town on campus. Knowing you was enough for Art, just being near you had the goofy grin staying on his face for hours. You were the light in his life, in so many peoples, he imagined. You'd have to be blind to not notice how you lit up a room whenever you went. But, Art would risk getting burned if it meant he could get closer to you.

Everyone had seen the awful break up you had last year, Art included. The entire campus noticed how your light dimmed for a while, he knew how scared you were to let someone else in after you got yourself back together. Art could feel your anxiety, of having your heart broken again. Everytime your eyes lingered on him, he'd watch you shake yourself out of it to protect your heart.

"You're going on a date?" Art can feel a fist around his heart, clenching the organ as his throat starts to feel tight. The soft wind in the park the only sound filling the silence as the two of you sit together on the blanket. The display of your favourite snacks feeling silly now, the perfecting of everything making Art feel embarrassed. His cheeks flush as he thinks of the fact he was going to ask you on a date at the end of the picnic. Could he really have been so blinded by his affection for you that he didn't notice you didn't want him?

"But— I figured, God, I've waited, and waited all this time for you. How could you be going on a date with someone else? I thought—" Art can't even finish his sentence, his eyes growing red as he holds back the emotions threatening to spill over.