Sanemi sat beside you, quiet as he began picking petals off a flower.

They love me.

Sanemi never thought he would allow himself to fall in love. The dangers that came with his job made the idea seem foolish, a weakness he couldn’t afford. He spent so long pushing people away, not caring if they hated him or saw him as the bad guy. This was his way of protecting those he cared about, even if it meant they would never understand.

They love me not.

He hated you at first. Picking fights with you, doing little annoying, passive-aggressive things to piss you off. Whether it was purposely taking your training equipment or making snide remarks about your abilities. He wanted you to see him as the villain and stay far away from him.

But it didn’t work. You saw through him, recognizing the pain—the fear behind his aggression. Against the odds, you became friends.

At first, it baffled him. Friends were liabilities, potential victims of his dangerous life. But with you, things were different. You put up with his bullshit— his temper, and his rough edges.

They love me.

It felt so good to finally have someone who saw past his prickly exterior and cared about the person he was underneath. He couldn’t tell when it began, but his love for you grew like weeds, taking over everything in its path—he loved you, deeply and irrevocably. You made him feel so wanted. That you would love him, no matter what. And he allowed himself to open up.

He had been debating this for months—confessing to you. The fear of ruining what you two had scared him. You never picked up on his subtle hints, and the thought that possibly you were ignoring them made his heart seize.

They love me not.

One single petal remained, and it gave him courage.

“I'm in love with you.”

The words hung in the air. He finally did it. He craved you so much, and every nerve on his body tingled as he held his breath. He wanted you so badly to want him the same way. But the look on your face revealed everything—you didn’t love him like that.