When they arrived at the cafeteria, Sarah told Harriet that she was going to eat with some old friends today. "They asked me this morning and it's been awhile since I've seen them so I said yes."
"Oh," Harriet said, surprised, "that's fine. It's important to catch up with friends."
"Thanks Harriet, I'll see you later." Then Sarah walked off.
Harriet sat down at their table and started eating her lunch. It was only a few minutes after that James arrived. When he sat down at the table, he asked where Sarah was. Harriet told him Sarah went to eat with some old friends today. "It'll be just you and me today I guess."
"Then I guess I'd better use the opportunity to tell you something," James started. Harriet looked at him as she waited to hear what it was he had to say to her. But then she remembered she too had something important to tell him. Knowing she'd mess up her words, she decided to let him go first. "Yes James? What is it?"
"I don't really know how to say this, so I guess I'll just come out and say it," James explained, a nervousness in his voice and actions. "Harriet, I-I, um, I like you. And not just as a friend, but as something more. I'm sorry but I just couldn't keep it in any longer. It kept pressing on my chest and I didn't know what to do.
Harriet, who was thrown off guard by James's sudden revelations, stared at him, hand covering her gaping mouth. She didn't know what to think! James. Her James. Her best friend. He liked her just as she liked him. Harriet finally spoke, relieving James of his anxiousness over his announcements.
"James, I-I, I'm speechless. I thought it was Sarah whom you liked, and not me. You were always talking to her and hanging out with her."
"Sarah? No, I've never liked Sarah unless it's as a friend. It's you I like Harriet. It's always been you. Even when I didn't know it."
Harriet started blushing. She had to tell him how she felt. Now. Or else I would be too late. "James, you have given me no choice so now I must tell you something. This is very hard for me to say, but it must be said. I like you. And not as friends either, but as a girl likes a boy." The moment the words left Harriet's mouth, she instantly felt a feeling of relief surge over her. It was like she was free from this darkness that had obscured her mind these past few months.
"What does this mean then?" James asked after what seemed like an eternity of silence.
"Before we get into this discussion, I'd like to know when you realized your feelings for me," Harriet asked curiously.
"It's hard to say when exactly," James started explaining, "but if I recall, it was probably when you first started dating Sebastian. That evening, when you called me to tell me about him, I suddenly had this veil of jealousy fall down on me. And it stayed like that until now. Now the veil has lifted, and is finally gone."
Harriet smiled. She couldn't help it, she was that happy. "What were you talking to Sarah about then? I kept hearing you mention my name," Harriet asked.
"Oh well I needed help figuring out how I felt and Sarah was helping me express my feelings. How to express them and when to. That's why I was always with her," James replied. Harriet smiled again, moving closer to James, deciding to do the one thing she'd been waiting to do for the past weeks. She kissed him. The kiss only lasted a couple of seconds, but for Harriet, it felt timeless.
"Thank you," she whispered to James.
"No, thank you," James whispered back.
For the rest of lunch, they stayed as close to each other as they could, never wanting to let go. And when the bell rang, they walked hand in hand, towards class. Still, never letting go.