Save Your Heart

Oliver watched his bestfriend from across the cafeteria who was laughing with her friends. Beneath Amber’s smile and laughter are tears and sadness, Oliver knows that. Everyone may think Amber was over Chris after one year of the break-up but the truth is, she isn’t.

At night, Amber would curl up in her bed and underneath her comforter and cried until she fell asleep. Sometimes she would read the texts she received from Chris and the IM conversations she had with him back then. She’d break down again.

She was deeply in love with Chris when he left her for another girl. Up until now, she still is in love.

This miserable feeling she has gives her a new habit. She’d buy cigarettes and hide it in her back, lock her room and smoke in the balcony at night when no one is home, or when everyone is asleep. Smoking is her guilty pleasure, but she doesn’t know what else she should do. Smoking calms her mind.

She always wishes that Chris would go back to her and then they’d be like what they were again as if nothing happened. Whenever she thinks of Chris, her heart sinks and tears would well up in her eyes disregard the situations she is in.

When she catches a glimpse of Chris anywhere, she looks down and takes a deep breath, collecting her guts so she can walk rather than just stand there, stunned by how Chris acts as if nothing happened. As if he doesn’t know her. As if nothing happened between them.

Discreetly, Amber starts to have feelings for Oliver that is always there for her. Oliver always says, “I know words aren’t enough, but you’re better than this. Save up your tears for someone that is worth to die for, and Chris isn’t the one. Save it for someone who can leave you breathless, someone that loves you with all his heart.”

Amber does realise that Chris is not the one for her, but deep down inside she believes that Chris would come back to her one day, although there were more doubts than to believe. She knows that she should stop welling up for Chris, but she can’t help it. No one had ever made her feel like this. Somehow she doesn’t want to be in love with anyone else. She really wants to forget him and move on, but her doubts are telling her not to do it.

She may be only fifteen, but she knows what love is. She knows the difference between a teenage crush and love, now that she had felt both of the feelings.

Oliver, in the other hand, realised that he’s in love with Amber a long time before Amber started dating Chris. But he is too chickened out to confess it to her. He thinks they’re better off as bestfriends anyway.

Prom night is tonight.

Amber goes with her friends and same thing goes to Oliver. The whole students in their year are there, but to Oliver Amber is the most appealing girl in the room. To him, she looks so beautiful wrapped in a soft yellow dress that reaches her ankles – more beautiful than she is every day.

In his eyes, that night she sparkles brighter than a thousand of stars that are trying to bright the Earth. He can’t hold himself anymore, so he approaches her and asks her to dance, to which she reluctantly accepts.

Oliver holds her waist while Amber wraps her arm around his neck. Their eyes never leave each other and how Oliver looked that night makes Amber feel like she needs more air.

Oliver leans in slowly and Amber shuts her eyes just before his lips come in contact with her forehead. It feels like it happens all in slow-motion.

Oliver pulls away and stares softly into Amber’s eyes. His lips turn into a small, knowing smile as he puts some of her hair behind her ear. He opens his mouth and whispers, “Stop crying for him. You deserve so much better.”

Like a miracle, Amber knows what she should do without any more doubts.