When love becomes a sin

That afternoon, a gentle breeze swept across the vast field of golden sunflowers. Bathed in soft sunlight, Serenity stood before Tony, her heart pounding as if it might leap out of her chest. She gathered all her courage to say what she had been harboring for so long. “Tony, I… I want to tell you that you are the first boy I have ever liked. I like you.” Her voice trembled so much that even she was surprised she managed to say those three words.

Tony smiled gently, a smile that made her heart melt. “I can’t believe you were the one to take the initiative. I should have been the one to speak first. I think that even before you started liking me, I had already fallen for you. Serenity, will you be my girlfriend, okay?”

At that moment, all her worries dissolved. She whispered her reply in overwhelming joy. “I agree.”

Serenity smiled and threw her arms around him. They exchanged a sweet kiss in the middle of the flower field, as if inside the most beautiful dream of their lives.

Suddenly…

“Serenity, Serenity.” Adele tugged at her sleeve and whispered her name. But Serenity remained immersed in her romantic dream until…

Knock.

The teacher struck his ruler hard against Serenity’s desk, startling both her and the entire class. “Are you that bored with this class?”

Serenity jumped, straightened up, and looked around the familiar classroom in confusion. She then stood up and lowered her head when she met the lecturer’s sharp gaze, murmuring an apology.

The teacher shook his head, turned back toward the podium, and continued the lecture. Serenity let out a sigh of relief. If this had been back in her high school years, she would have been sent to the discipline office long ago.

So it was just a dream all along. If only it were real, how wonderful that would be. Serenity thought to herself, then glanced at the desk across from her. Tony was intently taking notes, each stroke of his pen clear and steady, his eyes never leaving the page. Seeing his serious expression only made her face burn even more.

After class, the schoolyard buzzed with students streaming out of the lecture halls. Serenity walked some distance behind Tony, her mind still tangled between dream and reality.

“Just now, were you dreaming about Tony?” Adele walked beside her, asking with a knowing look. “You’re getting worse by the day.”

“Then what did you dream about?” Beatrice asked curiously, her eyes sparkling. The trio, always close, never let any story go unexplored.

“I dreamed that I confessed my feelings to Tony.”

“Really?” Both of them exclaimed in unison, making her blush deeply.

“It’s true.” Serenity nodded shyly, gazing at the young man’s back ahead of them and letting out a soft sigh.

The next day, Serenity brought along the love letter she had prepared the night before. The small sheet of paper trembled in her hands, while her heart pounded like a festival drum.

Serenity stood with her two close friends by the staircase of Building B.

“Do you think I can do this?” she asked nervously.

“Of course you can. Just do it.” Adele raised her thumb in encouragement.

“But I…”

“If you change your mind now, I’m afraid it’s too late.” Beatrice cut in. “He’s coming.”

Tony was walking into the corridor of Building B, his familiar calm demeanor unchanged. Serenity turned her face away in fluster, her mind in chaos.

What’s wrong with me? I’m so nervous. My heart is beating too fast. Maybe I shouldn’t… No. I have to let him know how I feel. Yes, I must do this. She urged herself on.

Adele and Beatrice stepped back, giving their friend space to confess to the one she loved.

When he came close to the staircase where she stood, Serenity shut her eyes tightly, thrust the letter forward, and blurted out. “Tony, I like you. Please go out with me.”

After waiting for a long time without hearing any response, Serenity finally opened her eyes and looked up. Standing before her was another boy named Vince Frank. Tony had already turned into a classroom before she extended the letter. That meant she had just confessed to… a stranger.

“You like me?” Vince stared, pointing at his own nose and lifting his chin. “That makes sense. Who wouldn’t fall for someone as handsome as me?”

Serenity was stunned. The letter slipped from her hand onto the ground. She stammered. “I’m sorry. I… I mistook you for someone else.”

With that, she spun around and ran off toward Adele, not even stopping to pick up the letter. Vince watched her leave, bent down to pick up the paper, then walked away, his expression unreadable.

Near the cafeteria window, Adele took a sip of her drink and remarked in a judgmental tone after hearing the whole story. “Normally, people don’t get confused that easily.”

“I was too nervous and confessed with my eyes closed, so this happened.” Serenity pouted.

“Is there anyone as foolish as you?” Adele tapped her forehead and sighed.

Beatrice joined in. “That guy is a student from the Applied Fine Arts Department. His name is Vince.”

“How do you know?” Adele asked.

“He’s famous throughout the school for being extremely handsome. Everyone knows him.”

“I don’t care who he is. I just think he’s arrogant and annoying.” Serenity fumed, recalling Vince’s smug attitude.

Beatrice continued recounting a series of facts about him, her voice serious as though telling a mysterious campus legend. When she reached the part about the “charming prince,” Serenity gaped. “What. Charming prince. I think it should be changed to possessed demon instead.”

All three girls burst into laughter. In the midst of their cheerful chatter, Serenity suddenly cried out. “Oh no.”

“What’s wrong. Who died?” Beatrice exclaimed in alarm.

“My letter. It’s gone.” Serenity rummaged through her bag, but there was no sign of it.

“Try to remember where you might have dropped it,” Adele said with concern.

“I must have dropped it somewhere. If someone picks it up, they’ll know my secret because I wrote my name on it. I have to go back and look for it. You two go ahead first.”

In panic, Serenity ran back to the corridor of Building B to search. The wind blew strongly through the hallway, and the thin letter could have been carried anywhere. She hurried from Building B to the lawn, then over to Building C, her face flushed with anxiety.

At that moment, out on the lawn, Tony happened to be passing by. He noticed a girl bending down, searching for something, and approached her. “Hey, are you looking for something?”

“Yeah,” Serenity replied, still searching.

“What is it. I can help you look.”