The instant Poll smiled at him, Eujae knew that there was no saving him from the trap that he had fallen into.

It's like a pit—so deep that it's nearly impossible to climb out of it.

Yet, it's not a place that Eujae would be eager to leave even if he were given the choice.

Apollo Helios Torres may be frustrating to deal with. The guy is a natural at getting under Eujae's skin. More often than not, he's crass and immature.

It's a funny thing. On the same day last year, those traits of Apollo were still a major turn-off for him. But now? They're a part of what Eujae finds endearing about the male twin.

They say love is colorblind.

He'd say people who are truly in love can recognize different hues just fine. Or more than fine. That's why every time they look at the person they adore, all they see are the beautiful colors.

And that is exactly what he is seeing now as he watches Poll talk happily to his female classmate.

He's glowing, and Eujae finally understands why people think he's a ray of sunshine. Indeed, he has a gift for lighting up someone's day just with that bright smile of his.

Euaje blinks and snaps out of his woolgathering as rowdy students pass by the mahogany tree that he's currently under. He silently follows the loud group with his gaze before bringing his eyes back to the particular window of the Fine Arts College building.

As he thinks about his earlier daydream, Eujae internally cringes, realizing how corny he has become. He's acting like a lovestruck teenager, and to think that he was never this sappy in high school. Not even when he was dating.

I guess I really have it bad this time, he muses, running a hand through his brown hair.

He notices that Poll has paused from chatting with his classmate and is now staring back at him with his signature frown and pout. The expression, however, is far from looking peeved. If anything, it seems like Poll is silently asking Eujae what he is doing here.

As an answer to the male twin's reaction, Eujae grins. Unaware of the stares that a few students sitting near him on the planter box are throwing in his direction, he chuckles when Poll juts his lips more as though to let Eujae know he is not satisfied with his response.

His gaze shifts to the woman next to Poll, and he realizes that she too is looking at him. Eujae nods in acknowledgment and gives her a polite smile.

The courtesy earns him a timid smile. Looking at her closely, Eujae is reminded of who the woman is. He remembers seeing her with Poll once in this same place and another time in his favorite coffee shop. If his memory serves him correctly, Poll called him Ivy.

Eujae had previously overheard them talking in the coffee shop, and he learned that the female art student has a crush on him. There is no point in denying the fact that he is flattered by the sentiment. Nevertheless, as he looks back at Poll, he thinks that he would have appreciated it more if the affection came from this man.

His eyes flick back and forth between the two art students. He is perfectly aware that Poll and Ivy don't like each other romantically. However, seeing how close their friendship is, Eujae can't help but consider the possibility.

As if to make himself suffer further, a picture of Poll dating someone materializes in his head. He feels his chest constrict just imagining it.

It doesn't have to be with Ivy, nor does it have to be with another woman, but if that image turns into reality, Eujae is fairly certain that he will not be able to take it.

There is one risky approach that can switch that likelihood around, and he has been deliberating about it for a long time. It's not foolproof, and if something goes wrong, he could end up losing Poll forever.

But he is now willing to take a chance.

While he is having those thoughts, a vibration in his pocket draws his attention. He pulls out his phone and snickers when he sees that Poll has sent him a text.

From Apollo:

what are you doing in front of my college building?

Grinning, Eujae types his reply.

To Apollo:

What? Am I not supposed to be here? You own this mahogany tree too, Apollo? I didn't know that this small angry bean owns every place that I go to.

He sends the text, and as he closes the messenger, he catches a glimpse of the gaming app that he has been using to talk with Ten-Ten for a couple of months. Opening the chat box and scrolling up, Eujae skims over the conversations they had throughout those times.

As he rereads some of their messages, he goes back to what he was thinking earlier before Poll texted him. Eujae also remembers the talk he had with his cousin last night.

They were in Lia's workroom, waiting for her parents to call them for dinner, when Eujae asked something out of the blue.

"Do you have any plans to confess to Risa?" He wanted to know. His eyes were fixed on one of the abstract paintings that were hanging on the wall of his cousin's artist studio. He might be staring at Lia's creation and might have asked a question about their friend, but his mind was wandering to a certain fiery male twin.

Without a doubt, Poll loved to draw anime, landscapes, and people's portraits. Now, Eujae was suddenly curious if he did abstracts too.

Or still-life, he thought as he lowered his gaze to look at the other piece—a hyperrealistic painting of frosted donuts on a plate.

The corner of Eujae's mouth curled up as he wondered if Poll ever painted something like this. He suspected that desserts were something that the male twin would rather enjoy eating than drawing. Having made that assumption, Eujae entertained himself with the image of Apollo getting hungry while trying to paint a picture of food.

"I already did."

Eujae came back to reality as the soft voice of his cousin interrupted his pleasant thoughts. He turned around to give the young woman a quizzical stare, but Lia didn't take notice of his expression since she was currently busy tying her long, curly hair.

"What?" Eujae asked, unsure if he had caught Lia's answer correctly.

After securing her hair in a high bun, Lia smiled at her cousin. "I already confessed to her last year, when we were in our second year." Her reply was spoken so casually that she made it sound like it hardly mattered.

He watched her choose a paintbrush from the pegboard before she moved to a long desk.

It took some time for Eujae to get her drift.

Tentatively, he said, "Last year. But..."

"We're not together, yes," Lia supplied. Crouching, she pulled out a plastic storage box from under the table. "Well, how do I say it? I wasn't exactly rejected, but we came to an agreement that we should remain friends for now."

"Friends. Is that really possible?" Eujae muttered more to himself. He took some steps to get near his cousin and help her lift the storage box to the table. Now that he was closer, he could see that the container was filled with bottles of acrylic paint.

Just as Lia opened the box, Eujae absentmindedly picked up a bottle and stared at it. It was a dark shade of blue, so dark that it would be easily mistaken for black at a certain distance. The color reminded him of Poll. His hair had this shade too.

Eujae puzzled out if it was just a coincidence that he had chosen this particular paint or if his subconscious had made him take it.

He was aware that they were talking about Risa. Still, he couldn't stop his mind from straying to Poll. Eujae pondered whether the male twin would still be fine with being friends with him if he knew he had been hiding the truth about Gaele all this time. On top of that, how would Poll take it if Eujae ever decided to tell him his real feelings?

"Can you really remain friends with someone whom you like romantically? Especially if they are already aware of your feelings but are unable to reciprocate?" Eujae continued to ask in a quiet voice, staring intently at the bottle of acrylic as if expecting it to talk and give him the answer.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Lia's lips before she started taking out the small glass containers of paint one by one. "It's not that easy. I'm not even going to deny that, and I know that Risa is aware of it too. I'm pretty sure that she would have perfectly understood it if I had chosen to end our friendship after her answer to my confession. Staying away from her would have made it easier for me to move on and forget my feelings for her."

The young woman examined a bottle of acrylic that looked bright yellow or orange. Shaking her head, Lia returned the bottle to the storage box.

As he looked at the glass bottles that she'd lined up on a tray, Eujae took note that she had picked the dark colors. He glanced at the one in his hand one last time before putting it down among his cousin's selection.

Lia smiled up at him in approval. Returning to the task of searching for particular colors, she resumed her reply to the young man. "It's just that, I value Risa so much that I didn't want to lose her. It wasn't my fault, nor was it hers that I fell for her, so I just thought the connection we'd already built between us shouldn't be compromised. I am fine with just being friends if that's the only way to stay close to her."

She paused just to look Eujae in the eyes. "Or am I a fool for doing that?"

There was something in her eyes and voice that Eujae couldn't remember ever witnessing before. Hesitation. Apprehension. As if she was afraid of the judgment.

Throughout the conversation, Eujae realized how much he didn't know about his only cousin. They had grown up and spent a lot of time together, and their bond was as close as that of siblings. He had been overprotective of her since he could remember. Yet he was only learning now that there were a lot of things about her that he had no idea about.

Until she had told him about it some time ago, he had never even suspected her of liking one of their friends. Furthermore, that it was Risa.

Eujae pretended to study the small drawings on the wall in front of them. Instead of giving a direct answer to Lia's question, he whispered, "I guess it's true that people do foolish things when they're in love."

Lia let out a soft laugh, which sounded relieved by her cousin's response.

Keeping his gaze ahead, Eujae added, "Well, for as long as you don't ruin yourself because of that love and you know when to get out of it once it becomes unbearably painful for you."

"Don't worry. I don't plan to let things reach that point," Lia replied, "And I am pretty confident that I can manage it just fine. These feelings will pass. Maybe not now, but someday, all of this won't even matter anymore. I'll be able to completely move on. For now, I think it's okay to just let myself experience these emotions. Anyway, do I look like I'm a ruin to you?"

At the young woman's query, it was Eujae's turn to chuckle. He faced Lia and took a step back to give her fake once-over. His eyes stopped at his cousin's amused ones. With a raised brow, he answered, "No. Of course not. You look pretty and blooming like always."

Lia giggled, and Eujae grinned, witnessing the familiar view. This was the cousin that he'd always known since they were kids. Gentle but cheery; it was his favorite Lia.

Eujae went back near her, just in time for the young woman to close the storage box. When he offered to carry the plastic container to put it back down, Lia repaid him with a grateful smile.

With the box in his hands, Eujae bent down and pushed it under the table. He looked over his shoulder to watch his cousin walk to her canvas and put the tray of acrylic bottles on the small table next to a stool.

Rising, he struck up another conversation. "I have one more question, though, Lia. You said you value your connection with Risa and you didn't want to lose her; that's why you chose to remain friends with her even after not having your feelings reciprocated."

He touched the edge of the long table, glancing behind him to make sure he would not knock anything off, before he leaned on it. As he returned his attention to Lia, Eujae continued, "But when you decided to tell her about the truth, didn't you consider the possibility of her running away from you? Didn't you think that she could have been the one to break the friendship that you cherished? Were you not scared you might lose her one way or another once you confessed to her?"

For a moment, Lia was silent as she looked straight at her canvas. At last, she answered, "Scared? Of course, I was. Dead scared. I was terribly afraid of all the possible consequences of letting her know my real feelings. It's something that you just can't help but feel, no matter how much you prepare yourself for what's about to come. What if she gets mad at me? What if she feels disgusted, knowing her friend—a woman—is looking at her that way? What if she decides not to talk to me anymore? What if my action ruins our friendship for good? Those were the questions that ran through my head at that time."

After picking up a paint bottle and twisting its cap to open it, Lia turned her head in the young man's direction. "But you see, Eujae, those were the same questions that would have remained questions had I not done what I did then. If I hadn't confessed to Risa that year, I would still be asking those questions now."

"And you don't regret what you did, do you?" Eujae asked seriously.

With a faint smile, Lia shook her head. "Not at all. The outcome stung at first, sure, but all things considered, it went fine. Risa was nice and honest with her answer. Moreover, she wasn't appalled by the fact that a person of the same sex was romantically attracted to her. Just learning that she wasn't prejudiced was enough for me to think that my feelings for her were all worth it. And I think even if it had gone the other way and I had been harshly rejected, I would have regretted it only in the beginning."

All the while she was talking, Eujae didn't dare interrupt. He diverted his eyes to the side and observed the dark surroundings through the large glass windows of the room, but he remained all ears to her as she kept going.

"There is this saying that it's better to regret what you did than to regret the things you never did when you had the chance. If one day Risa falls in love with someone and chooses to be with them, it would be easier for me to accept it, as I would not have any regrets about never letting my feelings for her be known. I wouldn't have to think that it's too late. I wouldn't have to blame myself for not doing anything, and I wouldn't have to constantly live with what-ifs. What if I took a shot? What if I braved it out and told her everything? Would I have stood a chance? Those kinds of what-ifs."

Once the room became quiet, Eujae looked back at his cousin and saw that she had her eyes down as she was occupied with scooping paint from the bottles and onto the wooden board that she was using as a palette.

He didn't say anything while he observed her. One important question was currently running through his head. Could he ever be as gutsy as this young woman had been?

Lia must have sensed his silence. With a knowing smile, she told him, "You know, Eujae, it's kind of refreshing to see you like this."

"What?" Eujae pushed away from the long table and walked to where she was.

"I mean, I've never seen you this serious about this subject. You were never this worked up even when you were dating someone."

"That's like saying I never really cared about my ex-girlfriends when we were still together. Maybe I deserved to be dumped by them after all," Eujae murmured and ruffled his hair.

Quietly, Lia laughed before she faced her work, making Eujae also turn toward it. At first glance, the canvas looked blank, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it was already painted light gray.

In response to his latest remark, Lia said, "You and I know that's not true. I had been a witness to how you genuinely cared for them. But sure, I have to say that despite your experience in dating, it seems like this is your first time being in love." She paused before adding emphatically, "To be truly in love."

Once again, Eujae answered her with silence. There was no need to voice out that he completely agreed with Lia.

"Anyway, falling for someone like Poll is kind of tough, no?" the young woman commented as she grazed her brush against the canvas, leaving a trail of moss green on the surface.

"Sure. It's hard to compete with food and anime when it comes to getting his attention," Eujae replied, half-joking.

Another laugh. "That too. But what I mean is that he's too innocent for his own good. You can be as open about your intentions as you want, but don't expect him to figure it out easily. He could have a huge crush on someone and still be completely unaware of it."

Eujae shook his head and smirked at how true his cousin's statements were. He remembered when Ten-Ten told him he had been feeling awkward around someone, and he later found out that Poll had been talking about him. It would have been nice if it was a case of Apollo developing affection for him, but he was just too dense to understand what it was. And if by any chance, he was finally able to figure it out, Eujae wished Poll would not run away from his own feelings.

He wished the male twin would not try to avoid him again.

"Action speaks louder than words, they say," Lia continued. "But that won't work for him. I'm saying he's the kind of person with whom you have to be straightforward. It's necessary that you spell out your real feelings to him for him to completely understand. Considering all that, Eujae, I want to return your earlier question.

The young woman looked over her shoulder. Tilting her head to the side, she shot, "Do you have any plans to confess to Poll?"

Eujae took his time to reply despite fully knowing what to say. He had been uncertain about it before, but he was sure of it now.

After letting out a sigh, he said, "I do. Sure."

The fact of the matter was that he had been thinking more about it recently, and had been trying to muster the courage to take the first step.

Because like Lia, he didn't want to regret it when it was too late. He didn't want to live with what-ifs forever and didn't want this love to go on without any proper closure.

Even if he was going to be turned down, he'd take solace in the fact that he tried, that at least he took the risk instead of losing the chance.

He stared through the window once more. Almost inaudibly, he whispered, "But before that..."

When Lia hummed and asked if he had said something, Eujae smiled weakly and shook his head no.

But before that, Eujae thinks while he stares at the game chat on his phone. Raising his head, he returns his eyes to the college building in front of him, only to see that the art students are now going inside their lecture room.

He smirks in amusement when he sees Poll stick his tongue at him before entering the door.

Resolve replaces pleasure as Eujae focuses his gaze on his phone again. Tapping the chat box, he starts composing a message.

He will confess, and there is no turning back now. But before anything else, he has to overcome the first hurdle.

The stumbling blocks start with Ten-Ten, and the initial step to straightening out this whole matter will also have something to do with him.

Pausing, Eujae checks what he has typed. Satisfied with the text, he hits the send button.

Gaele: Hey, Ten-Ten, do you want to meet up this coming weekend?