"You're still asleep?" Mom asked when she entered my room.

I didn't mind her and just shifted to a more comfortable spot. I heard Mom walking to somewhere in my room. I groaned when I got blinded by the bright light. I opened my eyes and saw that she opened the window.

"Mom!"

"Get up. I know it's a weekend, but that's not enough reason for you to sleep 'til dusk," she said. "And please, clean your room."

I sat upright. "Mom, I love you," I said before smiling at her, hoping it'll work on her.

She chuckled. "Nice try," she said before exiting the room.

I sighed and stretched my arms. I walked to the bathroom and did my morning routine. I then went back to my room and started picking up some of my clothes that were scattered on the floor.

I dumped my clothes in the clothes bin and placed them outside my room. After that, I started fixing my sheets, and I dusted some action figures from my figurine case.

I have been tidying up for almost an hour when I have decided to sit on the floor and lean on my bed. I was about to grab my phone when a pink object caught my attention.

It was underneath my bed, peeking out a little bit. I crawled over to where it was placed, and when I pulled it out, the cover said, "This diary belongs to Lianna Tyler. Do not open!"

"So that's where I placed it," I said to myself. I stood up and sat on my bed before opening Lianna's diary.

"How could she write so much?" I said while scanning through the pages.

A lot of her entries were full of her talking about what she did and learned at school, her random thoughts, and when she watched The Little Mermaid. When I say she watched it a lot, I really mean she watched it a lot.

One entry caught my attention because a picture was attached to it.

October 11, 2006

Dear Diary,

I visited Gabriel today. He didn't go to school because he was sick.

Huh? I actually don't remember what happened on this day.

I asked Mommy to make pumpkin soup because I know how much he likes pumpkin soup whenever he's sick.

Weirdly enough, I did like pumpkin soup whenever I was not feeling well. Mom always makes chicken soup, but I was not fond of it because it tastes bland. The spice of pumpkin soup and its aroma always made me feel better.

He was sleeping when I entered his room. He was wearing his cute superhero pajamas. Here's his picture. Isn't he adorable?

She pasted a picture of me sleeping. My nose and ears were so red. That always happens whenever I'm sick.

I did his homework while waiting for him to wake up, but he didn't, and it was getting dark. I just finished his homework before leaving quietly so he would not wake up.

I hope he'll be happy with what I did today.

Sincerely,
Lianna

I chuckled. So that's why I was surprised that I didn't have to do anything when I returned to school.

"I should've gotten a cold. Maybe she'll do my homework for me again," I told myself.

I started flipping through the pages again. On one entry, there was a picture of her and her dad. They looked very happy in the picture.

I felt guilty for what I have said before. I didn't mean any of it. I got mad, and it suddenly came out. I knew how much Lianna loved her dad. Even in their pictures, you can see how her eye sparkles whenever she's with him.

I also saw her when he was gone. She was lifeless. A part of her had been taken away, and her eyes never sparkled the way it did before.

When I realized I was in love with her, I wanted to bring back just a little bit of that sparkle because I knew I couldn't bring it back completely; only her dad could do that. Then I thought it wouldn't be possible, especially with me.

I turned to the next page and saw another picture attached. It was me, her, and Stella.

October 31, 2006

Dear Diary,

Today is Halloween. Gabriel, Stella, and I went around houses for trick or treat. Stella dressed up as Cinderella. She looked so pretty in her blue gown. I was supposed to dress as Ariel, but I thought it would be cold, so I asked for a Sebastian costume instead.

"And the Sebastian addiction never ends." I laughed.

The other kids made fun of my costume. They were so mean! I cried and was about to go home when Gabriel made them go away. He originally dressed as Batman, but when the other kids picked on me, he bought a Flounder costume and changed to that instead. He said that others would be jealous if they see us in our best friend costumes.

I do remember what happened on that day. Mom was strictly against the idea of me changing my costume, but I persisted until she agreed. I bought the costume so they could stop picking on Lianna, but I also wanted us to match. I had a massive crush on her before, and I guess... I still do now.

Here is what we looked like. Stella wanted to change to a seahorse at the last minute to match with me and Gabriel, but her Mommy did not allow her.

I wouldn't know what I would do without Gabriel by my side.

Extremely grateful,
Lianna

I sighed. I felt guilty because I was the one who used to protect her but then ended up hurting her for years.

I flipped through the pages again. Another entry with a photograph caught my attention.

April 22, 2007

Dear Diary,

Today had been the bestest day. Mommy, Daddy, and I went on a picnic with Gabriel and Stella's family. It was bright and sunny out, and it wasn't really hot, so we got to play. We were so tired that we fell asleep on the picnic mat.

The day ended as quickly as it started.  I just found myself in our house when I woke up. Mommy told me that we were sleeping so deeply that we didn't even notice getting carried to the car.

Gabriel rode in our car with us because Mommy said we were attached to each other even while sleeping. She took a picture of us.

I smiled while staring at our picture. The both of us are strapped in the backseat. We are really deep asleep. Lianna's head was on my shoulder.

"So adorable," I whispered.

I removed the picture from her diary and grabbed the empty frame beside my bed. I never really knew why I had an empty picture frame on my night stand. I think Mom placed it there, hoping I'd put something on it. That frame wouldn't go to waste now.

After putting the picture in the frame, I returned it to the night stand. I smiled while looking at it.

"You're making me crazy," I said, pointing at the innocent young sleeping Lianna.

I actually giggled after seeing the picture. Gabriel was so cute.

Please keep this picture safe.

Will be watching you 24/7,
Lianna

I scanned the pages once again. The amount of pictures of me in here was insane. Lianna was a very cute stalker back then.

I then reached the pages when our friendship started drifting apart. I wanted to be on Damon's side so bad then, so I started neglecting Lianna. I even stole this diary and read it to the class to look cool.

What's weird is I never even felt regret before. I can now understand why Lia broke my favorite action figure. I was indeed a jerk.

A half-blank page caught my attention. It didn't have any doodles, stickers, or photos.

November 26, 2007

Dear Diary,

Gabriel has really forgotten about me now. He never talked to me again or even smiled like he used to. We never get to hang out anymore, and he doesn't seem to care. I know he's been mean, but why do I still care about him the most? He has been ignoring me, but why can't I be angry? I still think he's my best friend, and I–

A squiggly line followed after. It was the last entry in her diary. That was what she was writing before I stole this from her.

I sighed and closed her diary. I placed it beside me before staring at the ceiling.

I just realized how hard it is not to fall for her. She's the most extraordinary person I have ever known, and I'm not sure why I hated her. She had been nothing but an angel, and I neglected that.

Reading what she wrote made me realize that we really weren't suited for each other. It made me realize that... I don't deserve her.

"Ah, so you're home," someone said from the door.

I faced that person and saw Bianca standing there. She walked towards me and sat on my bed.

"Lianna says you might have lost this in the mail," Bianca told me, handing the invitation to Lianna's birthday party.

I sighed. "I'm not going," I said before tossing the invitation to my study table.

She scoffed. "Are you serious?"

"Bianca, stop trying to make it happen because it never will," I said, getting irritated. "She's off limits," I added, a hint of bitterness in my tone.

She looked at me in disbelief. "You know what I don't get?" she asked, crossing her arms.

I just raised a brow, a signal for her to continue.

She sighed. "You know. You know everything. Lianna broke up with her boyfriend, and you're telling me she is still off limits?"

I shook my head. Yes, I know that Lianna broke up with Jaden, and I did have a hunch that maybe it was because of me, but it feels wrong to pursue her when she's deciding on things impulsively.

"You're THE Gabriel Winters, the guy who will not stop until he gets what he wants, and now, you can, but you wouldn't?" Bianca said, raising her tone.

"I want Lianna, but she doesn't know what she wants." I shrugged. "She's confused because I confessed and–"

"And how would you know that?" she asked, cutting me mid-sentence. "Gabriel, this girl is head over heels for you that I didn't imagine would be possible," she said, amusement in her tone.

"No one ever thought she'd fall in love with her enemy. She might have been your best friend before, but I am her best friend now, and to tell you, Lianna is perfectly aware of what she wants. She's rational and not impulsive. The moment she told Jaden that they were done, she was sure of you. She's brave, but she's afraid to take risks, and she risked Jaden for you. She risked a perfect guy for you."

Hearing her say that just made me feel bad. It sounded like I was the worst choice for Lianna.

"You're not making me feel any better," I told Bianca.

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do," she replied. "I want you to realize this and prove me wrong. I want you to show me, show us that Lianna did not make a bad choice of letting go of a guy who's clearly perfect for her. Show us that you're more suited for her than anyone else."

"What if it won't work out?" I asked. I also feared what Lianna and I could do to each other. We could end up hurting each other.

"And what if it will? Just end both of your miseries now and go for it. You like her, and she likes you. This is not rocket science, Gabriel. Stop overthinking things because you'll end up regretting everything if you don't try."

I hate it when Bianca is like this. I hate how she's always right.

Just a second ago, I wanted to bury my feelings deep in the ground so that no damage would be done, but after hearing her say those words, I realized that maybe it's time that I do something about this situation.

In 20 or 30 years from now, when I see Lianna happy with someone else, I wouldn't want to be stuck in the past, wondering what could've been if I just took a leap of faith. If I'm going to live a life full of what-ifs, then I wouldn't want to be alive at all.

"Okay." I nodded. "Bianca, please help me."

"Oh, dear cousin, I already have a plan." A mischievous smile formed on her lips. "And I'll make sure this is a decision you will never regret."

"You're creeping me out now. Please leave," I said.

She chuckled. "You're lucky that I'm happy I convinced you because I will never obey anything you command me," she said before getting up. "And I heard Aunt Claire's making cookies," she added before walking out the door.

I just shook my head before grabbing Lianna's diary and walking to my table. I grabbed my pen and flipped to the next blank page after her last entry.

April 9, 2017

Dear Lianna's Diary,

Hey, it's Gabriel. I know it's been a while, and I'm sorry if I kept you away from your owner long enough. I've done nothing but become the worst to her when all she did was bring out the best in me. Well... not until I stole you, and she hated my guts.

You know, I never believed in anything cheesy or corny, but with everything that happened with me and Lianna, I realized that as time progresses, we with time change.

Years ago, she was my greatest friend, and then years later, she was my worst enemy. Now, all I want to do is be with her most because I love her. She made me feel something I hadn't felt before. So before time changes again, I want to make things right. I will make sure that as time progresses, as she changes, as she grows, it will be with me. I will be there through every milestone in her life.

And to Lianna, here's your diary back, and I surrender. You win, and my heart is your prize. Please take care of it, and I'll make sure to take care of yours if ever I am deemed worthy of your beautiful heart.

You are the greatest thing I never knew I needed. I love you in all my yesterdays, today, and I'll love you in all my tomorrows.

Forever yours,
Gabriel