It wasn't until I returned from the competitions on October 10th that I truly understood how deep my feelings for him ran. This wasn't just a fleeting crush anymore—it was something more. Something I wanted to hold onto. I liked him in a way that made me want to date him, not just admire him from afar.

The very next day, after my class ended at 1:00 PM, I decided to call him. It was supposed to be a quick reminder for him to eat something before taking his medicines. Just a simple, thoughtful call. But as soon as he picked up, the conversation took on a life of its own. I playfully convinced him, teased him, even lightly threatened him to make him go eat. But somehow, that lighthearted banter stretched into six uninterrupted hours of talking.

And what made it surreal was that neither of us were "phone call people." Yet, with him, those six hours felt like six minutes. I didn't want to hang up—I didn't want to stop hearing his voice. Somewhere in between our endless laughter and deep conversation, my roommate walked in, wanting my opinion on a dress. When I was too distracted, giggling at something he'd said, she snatched my phone and teased, "You can talk to your boyfriend later." I froze, praying he hadn't heard her. But if I'm being honest, a part of me kind of wished he had.

By the time we hung up, I couldn't even remember what we had talked about. It was all a blur of smiles and warmth. And it felt so good.

The next day, it happened again. Another long phone call, hours slipping by as we talked about everything and nothing. But beneath all the joy was a lingering fear—a fear of how vulnerable I was becoming.

Then came Friday, October 13th, 2023—a day I'll never forget. I woke up early and noticed he was still awake. I'd always nagged him to sleep on time, scolding him about how unhealthy his late nights were. But, as usual, he brushed it off. I tried coaxing him, even jokingly asked, "Would you go to sleep if I told you a story?" To my surprise, he said yes.

So, on the spot, I made up the weirdest, craziest story I could think of. And when it ended, he actually agreed to sleep. That moment stuck with me. Something about the way he listened, the way he trusted me—it hit me like a tidal wave. I didn't care about the fear anymore. When I was with him, the fear didn't exist. All I wanted was him. He was it.

I spent the rest of the day telling my friends, "I'm going to ask him out." I didn't want to wait anymore. At 3:00 PM, I woke him up and told him to meet me at SJT at 5:40 PM. I didn't tell him why.

Between 3:51 and 5:40, I had an assessment, but I couldn't focus. I wasn't nervous about the exam—I was too busy smiling to myself, thinking about what I was about to do. My classmates thought I was acing the test with my goofy grin, and well, I did score 7/10, but even that didn't matter. All I cared about was 5:40.

The moment the lab ended, I sprinted downstairs to meet him. He was already there, waiting for me. My heart was pounding so loudly, I was sure he could hear it. Gathering every ounce of courage I had, I looked at him and thought, Just say it. And before I could overthink it, I blurted, "Fuck it, I like you."

Fast forward to now—over a year later. He's no longer just "Ducks" to me; he's my boyfriend. And as he's reading this, I know he's probably smiling.

So, hello, Ducks. This book had one and only one purpose(well previously birthday gift but I improvised a little hehe) 

 So will you? Be my valentine? 

(It's my turn to ask right?)