CHAPTER 451: CONFESSION

Time passed by swiftly and before Coco knew it, the morning had flown by.

Before long, she found herself walking alongside Jacques, making their way back to her house— the walk was silent with only the soft sounds of their footsteps along with the incomprehensible chatter of people around them occupying their surroundings and breaking the silence.

Coco’s mind was still a bit dazed, her thoughts a chaotic mix of the previous events, the strange atmosphere between her and Alhai, and now her friend Jacques walking next to her.

As they walked, Coco noticed that Jacques kept stealing glances in her direction, as well as towards the path before them like she looked like she wanted to say something, but she kept quiet, her impatience growing.

Finally, she exhaled a sigh before speaking up, her voice slightly exasperated. "Alright, there’s clearly something on your mind. Out with it. What’s bothering you?"

Coco blinked in surprise upon hearing Jacques’ statement, her attention snapping towards her direction as a look of confusion crossed her face while she took in Jacques’ unexpected words.

"What?" Coco repeated, her mind struggling to catch up with the sudden turn in the conversation.

Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her tone filled with curiosity and a hint of bemusement, but Jacques simply responded with an exaggerated eye roll, her footsteps continuing with a steady rhythm as she kept walking.

She glanced over at Coco, her gaze sharp and observant.

"Come on." She said, a hint of feigned exasperation in her voice. "We might not have known each other very long, but even I can tell when there’s something on your mind.. You’ve been off all morning and it’s written all over your face."

Coco contemplated over it for a moment before she nodded her head slowly, a small sigh escaping her lips.

Her gaze dropped to the ground. "Yeah... I had a realization yesterday.. It has been on my mind since then. I can’t seem to shake it off."

Finally, they reached Jacques’ house and Jacques immediately extended an invitation for Coco to step inside.

With a welcoming gesture, she spoke up. "Come inside for a moment, okay? I’m sure Jonathan and Renaldo are already out so we’ll have some privacy for whatever we need to talk about.. Only if you’re up for it, of course."

Coco nodded and started stepping into Jacques’ house, grateful for the opportunity to have a private conversation with her friend.

Coco followed Jacques through the hallway, her eyes scanning the surroundings as they walked.

Soon they entered the kitchen and Coco found herself being offered a seat at the table while Jacques busied herself preparing some drinks.

The air was filled with a comfortable silence as Coco waited, her eyes still taking in the details of the room— silently appreciating the simple decor and the warm ambiance, feeling a sense of familiarity of the home that screamed that the abode belonged to Jacques.

As Jacques stirred the juice in the cup and placed it in front of Coco, the sweet scent of the beverage filled the air.

Chocolate.. Coco lifted her gaze to meet Jacques’ eyes, her expression earnest as she accepted the chocolate beverage from her friend.

"You were right.." Coco admitted, her words soft and tinged with resignation, her gaze dropped to her cup as she continued, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "I did catch feelings for them.. And yesterday, I realized it."

Jacques stared at Coco and processed Coco’s words, then when she finally comprehended the words.. Her eyes widened, her expression filled with surprise.

She froze in place, her gaze fixed on Coco in disbelief.

"You actually did?" Jacques repeated, her tone filled with a mix of shock and intrigue as her eyes searched Coco’s face for confirmation, seeking reassurance that she had not misheard her friend’s confession.

Coco bit her lip gently, her expression softening with embarrassment as her head nodded weakly.

She quickly avoided Jacques’ gaze, her cheeks flushed slightly as her fingers fidgeted on the tabletop, unable to find a comfortable place to rest as she felt the weight of her confession hanging in the air between them.

No way.. The pink haired woman thought, feeling her jaw falling out of shock.

However, Jacques cleared her throat and attempted to maintain an air of nonchalance, but a sly smile still broke through the facade.

She inquired further, her voice carefully reluctant.

"So.." She began, tilting her head slightly. "Did you mean that you’ve caught feelings for all of them, or is it just one or two who have sparked your interest?"

Coco absentmindedly reached for the cup, her mind swirling with thoughts as she considered her answer, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before responding.

"I.. I think I like all of them." She admitted slowly and quietly, her voice dripping with uncertainty. "I’m not completely sure.. But I can tell that I’m at least attracted to all of them? Yeah.. I’m attracted to all of them."

Coco’s cheeks burned with a slight blush as she spoke, the realization of her feelings appearing in her mind once again and it felt quite weird to finally admit it to herself.

The cup in her hand felt warm against her skin as she fidgeted with it, her fingers tracing nervous circles on the rim.

Jacques broke into a wide smile, her composure lost as she burst into a fit of giggles, her eyes glittered with amusement as she reacted to Coco’s confession.

"Goodness!" She exclaimed, still giggling uncontrollably. "I never thought I’d ever see the day when you admit you’re attracted to all of them!"

Coco groaned, her hands covering her face in embarrassment.

"Please shut up.." She pleaded, half joking and half serious, her voice barely audible through the cover of her hands.

"I’m already mortified that you walked in on me and Alhai like that.. And now you’re laughing at me for admitting I have feelings for them?"