It's been a few months, Erich's final exams are coming closer and he was about to bid farewell to Red but he didn't desire more. After the brief talk, Erich never dared to talk to Red again. He began to watch her from afar, not wanting anything else other than a glimpse.
"How long are you going to watch her from afar? Go and talk to her, Erich." Kenny said. "No, man... I don't deserve her." Erich smiled, looking at her. "You? Her?" Kenny asked.
"I mean look at her man. Isn't it an aesthetic smile? She has the world's brightness in them... Ah, guys... I think your Erich is in love." Erich said, hopelessly watching Red and was satisfied with one look, a glance. How she was talking, oblivious he is the one who sends a rose to her every day after their first meeting.
Erich's friends began to laugh, "Erich and love?"
"I know. I know it sounds weird but I love the sensations she gives me." Erich said, holding the rose in his hands. "Are you sure it's not an infatuation?" Zach asked. "Whatever it is, it's thralling. And I am lost in her spell. Whatever it is, I treasure it deeply... Look, how she is ignorant of the fact I am staring at her."
"Bro, you are no special if you are doing it, most of the boys do." Zach said. Erich frowned and turned to Zach, "Zach, she is your friend, isn't she?"
"Yeah and you didn't even let me mention your name with her. At least let her know about your existence... why are you asking, anyways?"
"Can we go on a trip to the beach, please man, take her with us. Please. Please." Erich said. "Erich, exams are coming, do you want to fail?" Kenny asked. "It's no time, her first year exams are coming as well." Zach reasoned. "I will set you up on a date with Annie." Erich said direly. "We are going this saturday." Zach said, laying on the grass.
"Dude, what the hell!?" Kenny shouted. "Shut up, we are going." Zach said, closing his eyes.
And when Zach invited Red to go, they will. Of course he didn't want to make it look weird so Zach, Kenny, Peter, Parker, Red and Erich are going.
"Man, where is she?" Erich asked. "Chill dude, we are here." Zach said. "Don't stand behind Erich, go and talk to her."
"Kenny, she didn't even bother to look at me." Erich said, moving back. "What are you? a shy nerd? Go!" Zach and Kenny pushed Erich as he stumbled upon Red and now was facing her.
Red looked at him and raised a brow, Red sighed and moved on to Parker. Kenny came and punched Erich in the back, making him wince.
"What the fuck dude! Why didn't you talk to her, look at her how hot she is looking in that bikini." Kenny said, turning Erich to Red.
Erich's face turned crimson to see Red, his heart fluttering to see her, watching how tempting she was looking. "Red in a red bikini made Erich red." Zach teased from behind. "Shut up! It's nothing like this." Erich flushed looking away. Erich went to the water and turned to look last time at Red, watching her applying suncream. As he was looking at her, he couldn't help but to notice a mole in her inner thighs.
"Adorable." He said to himself, shaking his head and went to swim.
Kenny and Zach were watching from afar, sighing at the condition of their friend who used to be a carefree playboy.
"He is gonna fail and waste another five years here." Zach said. "Watching his Red. By the way, did you talk to Red about Erich?"
"No use. Red forgets his name instantly. Even right now, she didn't even bother to know your names." Zach sighed. "You know what's Erich's cure? A slap of rejection." Kenny said.
"Exactly."
"He is not gonna come back."
"This fool is gone. We will carve his name among the Knight who turned insane in the fight of love." Zach joked and they both laughed a little and said at the same time, "He is gone."
After spending a refreshing day at the beach they came back. And everything was back to normal the next day. Before going to the Library to study, Erich wanted to give Red the rose he gave her as an unknown person.
Erich put the flower and this time he thought of staying, hoping to hear what Red thinks about him.
"Oh Red, Look, your secret admirer got you another rose." Parker said, offering her the rose. "Shut up." Red frowned, taking it and about to throw it inside her bag, uninterested. "Don't you even bother to think who this guy might be?" Parker asked. "I don't even care about the coward who can't even give me a flower in person." Red said, rolling her eyes off. C-Coward? Erich's heart ached to hear this.
"Don't be so harsh." Peter tried to make her understand. "He gives you a rose as a serving of his love and you neglect it like this. How dare you, savage one." Peter continued in a dramatic tone making Red sigh,
"Guys like these become stalkers in the future." S-Stalker? I don't even know your last name!
Red frowned and sat down, scowling and said, "I don't care about this stalker, he can go to hell for all I care, I'd be scared to even meet him." Red looked at the rose last time and threw it away, "I hope I don't see his face. Ever."
And those words shattered everything.
And those words shattered everything. Her words meant nothing for her but to him, that was the whole reason to stay away from her for the rest of his life and don't consider his emotions as love, thinking they are nothing but as obduracy like she said.
The hopes building inside his heart crumbled, like the path he was walking on began to break by each step he took, only to realize the way led to nothing but darkness. Considering it the fate of his heart to be perished. The emotions he once called love are turned to dust and evoked ultimate devastation in him.
Erich looked down, looking at his hands. His lips were quivering as the desire to talk to her left untouched in his heart. Burning without her as the symphony he heard every time instantly began to itch him, disintegrating his heart by her...
One. Unintentional. Sentence.
He lost everything.
"You are right, I can't even express my feelings to you but don't they hold any meaning? My emotions, are they so devalued that you are not considering them even once?" He asked himself in a low tone as tears dwell in his eyes, his voice cracked up, almost crying.
Am I so worthless that treasuring is a distance matter- you want to throw it away?
He forced a sad smile as tears rolled down his cheeks and hiding from everyone, he rushed to his dorm, pulling his hairs in heartbreak while trying not to cry with tears rolling down followed by one another.
"It's okay. We will never meet and thank you for making me realize I don't love you." He whispered breathlessly and entered his dorm. He closed the door and fell down, leaning his back on the door and hugging his knees close to his chest, breaking into sobs, letting out the grief intoxicating his mind and crushing him miserably.
Erich let out roaring sobs, sniffing trying not to cry but the tears streaming down his face were visible, the endless stream seeked no halt, wanting to let out the overwhelming agony. Slumped in dejection he couldn't see his path anymore lost in the words Red spoke out of annoyance which he let poison him.
Erich locked himself, wailing and letting out his sorrow with no source of salvation for his destruction. A hollow was building up inside him, stolen from the grace he had fallen, lost, desolated.