It seemed as if time had stopped. We all had been standing there for what seemed like forever, frozen in place. We stood still, standing in different sections of the theatre. We stared at each other in surprise, the only ones in this otherwise empty auditorium. The tension and stress I felt was grand, and the tension between all of us was ricocheting off of the walls like a ping-pong ball. My heart nearly stopped. I looked, shifting my gaze between Lucio, Cosimo, and Amedeo. They all had asked to meet me in this auditorium, alone. I didn't know exactly why, but as I studied the looks on their faces, the reason seemed to be very important. I felt lost. I didn't know what to do or what to say in that moment. 

It took a minute of us standing and staring at each other before someone finally did something. We heard a scoff, which echoed in the theatre. Cosimo looked at us and started walking towards Lucio and I, glaring at Amedeo out of the corner of his eye. "So, we all had the same idea, I guess." Lucio and I had stopped holding hands. I was hugging my arms in anxiousness, but Lucio looked grounded. He looked just as firm as he did on stage earlier that day, staring Cosimo down. Cosimo reacted with a look I had never seen on him before. He looked almost scary. It sent a shiver down my spine. 

Amedeo also started walking towards us, coming up onto the stage to join Lucio and I. He stood in front of me, eclipsing Lucio completely. He looked at me with earnest. "Did you get my note, Daniela? I snuck it into your purse when you were on stage." I recalled picking up his note from the floor of the practice room when it had fallen out of my purse. That delicate handwriting, of course it belonged to Amedeo. He looked down at the ground. "I had something I needed to tell you." I heard Cosimo angrily laugh. "Oh no, don't think you'll be the one who gets to talk first." He said incredulously, hopping up onto the stage. He stood behind me, making me turn around to face him. He looked me fiercely in the eyes, smirking. "That note taped to the door of the practice room? Me." Now it all made sense. "I also have something I need to say to you." Lucio looked at the both of them with a frown. "I was in the middle of telling Daniela something too." 

Cosimo just ignored him. He put his hands on my shoulders, walking backwards and pulling me with him, so we could be more on our own. "Daniela, I need you to hear this." His voice was frantic. He looked into my eyes. "Daniela, I've got a lot of issues. I'm annoying, I'm jealous, and I have a lot of sadness buried deep inside me. I never thought I could show anyone who I truly was, so I put on a mask of silliness so that people would like me." He smiled. "But I didn't have to do that with you. Daniela, I have never felt freer than when I'm with you. I didn't have to just be the goofy guy or the life of the party. I could just be myself. I could be sad, I could be depressed, I could be real. You were the only one who accepted me for me. I've never had this kind of relationship with anyone." He came closer to me, stroking a strand of my hair. "And then there's you. Everything about you is beautiful. Your face, your voice, your personality, everything. Ever since that day when I first met you on the cable car, I have not been able to stop thinking about you. You fill my mind every day." He stared into my eyes, bringing a hand to my cheek and caressing it. "I need you, Daniela. I love you and I can't imagine not having you in my life. Please, tell me you feel the same way. Be with me." He sighed, shakily. "I need you." 

It was like a bomb had been dropped in the room, exploding all around us. Cosimo had just confessed his love to me. What my mom had said and what I suspected was all true. There wasn't an ounce of doubt or uncertainty in his words. He was positive about his feelings for me. I could tell by the determined look in his eyes. He was holding onto me so tightly, like he was claiming me as his. He seemed so possessive in this moment. It seemed like the entire future of our relationship was all depending on how I answered his confession. It was so much pressure, it made my head and my heart hurt. I stammered, but no words came out. I had no idea what to say. Before I could formulate even one word, my racing mind was interrupted by another enormous revelation. 

Amedeo came up to me, taking my hand, forcing me to turn around and face him instead of Cosimo. "Daniela, I love you too." Another bomb exploded. "You are so special and you have impacted my life in so many ways. You took time out of your day to listen to me and all the problems I was going through. My feelings, the situation with my nonno and my family, everything. You didn't make fun of me, you didn't ignore me, you didn't tell me to get over it. You were kind, you listened, and you made me feel better. You were the only one that brought me out of my darkest days. My experience being friends with you is so surreal and your words and actions have stayed in my mind." He reached out to me, taking my other hand in his. "You made me, an anxious and nervous person by nature, forget all my worries and just live my life. With you by my side, I feel like I can accomplish anything. On my own, I'm weak, but with you I can be strong. Only with you am I ever truly happy." His words sounded so sad and sincere. "Please, Daniela, accept my love, accept my heart, accept my true feelings for you. Stay with me, Daniela. I need you." He sounded so desperate, clinging onto my hand like he was afraid I was going to abandon him at any moment. My heartbeat sped up. I had never seen him look so distraught. It seemed like the way I would answer his confession could affect him as a person. On top of the Cosimo's confession, this was so much pressure. I felt like I was going to explode. 

As I racked my brain to try and come up with a response for the both of them, I remembered. There was one more person there who had asked me to meet with them alone in the auditorium. I slowly turned and looked over at Lucio. He had been standing next to us the whole time, watching both scenes in horror. He looked bewildered and betrayed. I couldn't tell if these feelings were directed at Amedeo and Cosimo or at me. He curled his shaking fists by his sides. That familiar look of determination returned to his face, his eyes boring into mine. He rushed to meet me, strongly taking my hands in his and moving in closer to me. The golden specks in his eyes were fiery and passionate. "Daniela, I love you!" He cried. The last bomb had exploded. I felt like the wind was knocked out of me. My eyes went wide and my heart stopped. Three words. Lucio had said more to affect me in three words than Amedeo and Cosimo said in both their speeches. Lucio didn't say anything more; his eyes told his entire story. His feelings were true. He loved me. 

I felt so many things. I was in shock. I was confused. I was under a tremendous amount of pressure. I felt lightheaded. I felt like I was about to faint at any minute. I slowly pulled away from Lucio, removing my hands from his and putting them over my heart, trying to calm myself down. I stared at all three of the men before me. I felt something for all of them. I looked at Cosimo, remembering our first meeting; how fun he had been to be around, how he was always lighthearted and funny, and how he hadn't let the tragedies in his life change who he was. But now, he was like a different person. Now, he was angry, possessive, staring at me and waiting to hear my answer to his confession of love. I looked to Amedeo, who was waiting in expectation for my answer. I remembered meeting him at Caffè e Dolci, how he was charming and quiet, how he was so respectful and polite, and how he was deep and poetic. Now, he stood before me, eyes full of desperation as he clung onto me for dear life. Then, there was Lucio. Lucio, who had given me butterflies the first day we met, enchanted me with his beautiful voice, and made me fall for him through his kindness and amazing personality. And he also had just confessed his love for me. 

I wanted so many things. I wanted to please them all, I wanted to keep our friendship strong, I wanted to forget this had ever happened. I also wanted to follow my heart. But I didn't know what to do in the moment. What was it exactly that my heart wanted? Was it Cosimo? Amedeo? Lucio? Friendship? I felt even more lightheaded as I stepped back from them. I caught myself, nearly falling off the side of the stage. I staggered forward, which made the boys lunge out to catch me if I fell. My heart raced and my head pounded. I wanted to give them an answer that would make them all happy, but I didn't know how. I didn't want to hurt any of them, and if I said yes to being with one, I would destroy the other two. Tears rushed to my eyes, which made the guys all panic. "Daniela?" Lucio whispered, reaching a hand out to me. I stepped back even further. I put a hand over my heart, feeling it pounding against the palm of my hand. I didn't know how to answer them. I didn't know how I could possibly do this. 

So I didn't. 

With tears streaming down my face, I made out a quiet and saddened, "I'm sorry." I raced down the stairs of the stage and ran down the aisle, grabbing my purse from the chair I had put it on earlier. I ran out of the theatre, the doors slamming behind me, leaving the boys standing alone on the stage. 

What happened next was a blur between the thoughts in my head and the tears in my eyes. 

Third Person P.O.V.

The three men stood there in the empty auditorium, now emptier by one. They watched as Daniela abandoned them on the stage, leaving distraught and in tears. They watched on, feeling sick to their stomachs at what had just happened. They would never have dreamed of making Daniela this upset. They didn't want to make her feel this way and, of course, they would never want to be the reason for her tears. But they couldn't bear to keep their feelings for her bottled up inside. Never did they imagine they would all confess to her at the same time. 

When it was clear that Daniela was not coming back, they all turned to look at each other instead. "So, we all loved her." Amedeo finally said, looking down at the ground. He seemed ashamed, but it was clear that he couldn't fight his feelings for her any longer. Cosimo put his hands in his pockets, looking out into the empty seats in the theatre. "Yeah. I guess we do." He worded his sentence in the present tense, indicating that he still loved her despite now knowing of Lucio and Amedeo's feelings. Lucio just felt empty inside. He didn't know if he had just lost Daniela because of his confession, and if he did, he would regret confessing to her for the rest of his life. He looked at his friends, now his rivals in love. "Why didn't we tell each other? What happened to us?" 

Cosimo scoffed. "Do you really think if we told each other, that would've gone down well?" He said, glaring at Lucio. "Look what happened here. We all jumped at Daniela, not caring what anyone else had to say to her." After a while, Cosimo chuckled, dryly and sadly. "Who knew?" He didn't say anything more. The three stood together in silence. You could see the strain on their friendship, their love for Daniela tearing them apart more and more. Cosimo chose to break the silence yet again. He approached Amedeo and Lucio, staring at the two of them. His face was serious, something that was rare for Cosimo to exhibit. "I need you two to know that you haven't bested me. Just because you love her doesn't mean I don't." His words were threatening and accusatory. He continued to glare at them. "I can't let her go." The way he said this was frightening. "Either you two give up, or you fight me for her. I'm not giving up my chance with Daniela." With that initiation of war, he left the stage and the theatre, the auditorium doors slamming shut behind him. 

Now, it was just Amedeo and Lucio standing on the stage, alone. The sadness and sense of betrayal in the room was high. After a minute, Amedeo and Lucio both looked at each other. Amedeo chose to speak next. He faced Lucio, looking him in the eyes, his face just as serious as Cosimo's. His eyebrows slanted down in despair, but his eyes were determined and fierce. "I love her too." He spoke. "I can't bear to not have her in my life. I need her. I can't walk away from this." As he began to leave, he turned back to look at Lucio one last time. "I'm sorry, Lucio." He seemed genuinely apologetic, but for Daniela, he couldn't give up. He walked down the stage and across the aisle, leaving from the side door where he first came from. 

Now only one person occupied the stage. Lucio stood there, a man alone with his thoughts. He thought of Daniela, of how he hadn't been able to tell her everything he thought about her, of how much he loved her, and now, of how he was at war with his friends for her. They all loved the same girl. What would this do to their friendship of so many years? Would it break them apart? What would it do to Lucio's relationship with Daniela? Had he lost her for good? Could he hope in his heart that he would be able to be with her? When he stopped and thought of the way she had run out of the theatre, tears streaming down her face, it crushed the little hope he once had.

Lucio felt tears welling up in his eyes. He removed his glasses and put his head down, looking down at the stage. He sniffled, raising a hand to wipe the tears now escaping from his eyes. 

"Io ti amo..." He sang with his last breath.