"Non, it is not just girls who share this trait. They would argue it was different, but my male classmates were much the same. They could find many things they thought were worth picking at." But then, high school hadn't been all that long ago for him and while university was better, it still happened with his current classmates sometimes.
Christien shook his head, because it was nothing like that. All his fear over confessing stemmed purely from his own shyness and feeling unworthy. "She has always been consistent in our friendship, but she is.." He frowned slightly, trying to think of how to explain. "It's like the song, she is out of my league. Wonderful and light, even here. Even now she can light up entire rooms." Said with an almost sense of awe, because it sort of amazed him that her smile could still manage to be so bright it could blind a person. "She is also older, so I can only imagine she would prefer someone her own age." Plus about a million other things he thought she deserved that he was likely lacking.
It was actually a relief to know even someone who carried herself the way Peyton did was prone to moments of doubt. Sometimes he forgot it wasn't an affliction he alone suffered from, which was reassuring and not incredibly helpful all at the same time.
"I've never been very good at being brave," he admitted. "But I'd like to believe that. If there was a chance that I might be wrong.." He paused again, giving her a curious look. "I would very much like to be wrong. I've liked her from the moment we met. I used to go eat lunch at the restaurant she worked at by myself just so I could talk to her for the few minutes she was at my booth." There was a small, wry smile on his face when he ducked his head once more. "It doesn't sound like much, but I hate going out by myself in the city. I rarely go anywhere unless Sera drags me, but I liked it better when it was just me so the others could not distract her from our conversation."
Plucking the strings lightly, "It's probably silly to even hope a song could get rid of something I've felt for so long."