“I haven’t laughed like this in such a long time. This has been the best day,” I say, still giggling a little. Jonas nods in agreement but he is still laughing, leaning on the railing of his front porch to catch his breath. After a few more chuckles, he takes a deep breath and sits next to me on the porch swing, sighing contentedly.

We swing in silence for a minute, quietly enjoying each other’s company. I love how comfortable we are with each other. We don’t have to fill the void with senseless chatter. It’s enough to simply be together.

I look over at him, and he turns to look at me, at almost the same time. When we’re standing, he’s a foot taller than me, but sitting here, his eyes are almost level with mine. My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest as our eyes connect for a moment. And before I can think better of it, the words are spilling out of my mouth.

“Jonas, I’m in love with you,” I say, barely more than a whisper. He inhales sharply, obviously surprised. Then, I see a thousand different emotions flicker in his eyes. My stomach is in knots as I wait for his response.

“Paige, I…” he hesitates, unsure of what to say, but I know what’s coming. I can feel the tears coming before he even speaks.

“Paige, you’re my best friend, and I like you, but I can’t…” he trails off. I stand up and walk over to the other side of the porch, not wanting him to see me cry. I hear him stand and walk over to me.

“Paige..” he says again, putting his hand on my shoulder. I turn around and see that he is crying too.

“Why not?” I ask quietly.

“Because I don’t do relationships. I’ve been hurt too many times.” He turns his head, avoiding my gaze, and continues, “And you’re too important to me. I don’t want to lose you.”

Embarrassed and hurt, I grab my keys out of my pocket and head towards the steps, tears streaming down my face.

“Paige, wait!” He grabs my hand and pulls me back.

“Jonas, I know you’ve been hurt, but you have to move on sometime. And I’m not gonna wait around forever. You have to make a decision.” I wait for an answer, still holding his hand.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” he whispers, his voice cracking with emotion. My heart breaks as I slowly let go of his hand and walk to my car. Before I drive away, I glance up at him. He’s still standing in the same spot, watching me.

“How did the best day turn into the worst day so quickly?” I wonder aloud as I back out of his driveway and head home.