Chuck sat on his bed, looking down at a photo he held in his hands. This particular photo was his most prized possession. He hid it under his pillow most of the time, including at night so that he could be closer to the perfect form printed there. Funny how a simple impression of ink upon some glossy paper could cause such strong emotions. He stroked the page gently, wishing it could be the one he loved, the perfect maiden whose image this paper held. He loved her so much, and he knew that she would never even know. He did the next best that he could, though, and stayed as true a friend as he could. He was always there for her whenever he could, sharing the good times with her, and trying his hardest to make them even better, so he could see her angelic smile and hear her perfect laugh for just one more moment. He comforted her through the bad times, through every failed test, through each new challenge she couldn't quite seem to conquer, though every shitty boyfriend and bad first date fallout... She never even realized how much he truly cared.
He always gave her the spotlight, making sure that, no matter what, she was happy. He wished that he could be the one to make her smile, to hold her close and love her, to whisper sweet nothings into her ear, to be by her side... Maybe even forever, if he was really lucky. He knew it was just a silly schoolboy fantasy, but then again, she was every schoolboy's dream girl. She was the subject of more than one crush among the male population of the school, and Chuck knew it all too well. Every time one of them caught her eye, and they started to hit it off, it would feel like his soul had been cut into with a rusty, blunt knife. He loved her more than anything in the world, and would do anything for her...
Except manning up and asking her out.
So here he was, sitting in his room like a loser, fawning over a picture of a girl who would never let him poke a toe out of the friend zone, and there didn't seem to be anything he could do about it. He knew he should get over her, but there was something about her that intrigued him so much, something that turned her from being just another girl into the ultimate prize, a perfect woman to whom none could compare. He hugged the photo close to his chest, much like he had done for the girl on the page, who he had gone through so much pain and strong emotions for. A tear trickled down his face, as he said to himself the same tired line that he had said on so many countless lonely nights, just like this one, and wondering once more if it would make a difference if she could hear his words right now, if it would matter at all, or if she would throw him away forever.
"If only you knew how much I love you, Sarah..."