Daring to Love

Chapter 7

Diana pov

When I woke up, I did what any MORDEN normal person would do first thing in the morning... No, not brushing my teeth, but reaching for my phone while still snug in my cozy bed. And guess what? The very first thing that caught my bleary eyes was a sweet morning message from none other than Sam, complete with a vibrant red heart emoji.

Let me fill you in on the latest gossip: it's been a whole 3 week since Sam hijacked my Instagram account, and the very next day he started texting me. Ever since that faithful day, we've been talking, and we even manage to have small conversations in college sometimes when we happen to cross paths.

But here's the thing: every time I step out of my class, I somehow always spot him nearby, engrossed in some activity or another. And let me tell you, whenever he's near me, I don't know what the hell happens, but I get ridiculously nervous. Like, seriously, what's up with that? He's turning me into a nervous wreck!

And just as I was about to reply to Sam, my dad bursts into my room and scares the living daylights out of me, causing my phone to smack me right in the face.

It was like the universe was adding insult to injury.  And Of course, my dad couldn't resist making a snarky comment about my phone addiction. I groaned and sat straight while rubbing my nose, which was throbbing from the impact.

"Are you done now?" he asked, completely oblivious to my pain. "Don't you have school today?"
"Dad, I'm in college," I corrected him, feeling annoyed.
"I know, I know," he said, shaking his head. "But sometimes I wonder if you'll ever grow up."
I pouted, feeling defensive. "My childish side is only for my close ones," I protested.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He sat down next to me and started stroking my hair, asking if I was okay. I nodded, feeling comforted by his touch.
"Good. Come downstairs, breakfast is ready," he said, kissing my forehead.

I smiled, feeling grateful for my dad's love and support. Even though he teased me about my immaturity, I knew he was proud of me and believed in me.
"You'll always be my little princess," he said, getting up to leave. "But hurry up, I have an important meeting to attend."

I nodded, watching him go with a mix of admiration and sadness. My dad always has his smiley face infront of me but I know he cries when ever I'm not around. I remembered how people had urged him to find someone else, to replace my mom with another woman. But my dad had never even looked at another woman. He was loyal and devoted to my mom. And to me, he was the strongest man I knew, and I was lucky to have him as my dad.

. . .

In a comical twist of fate, I found myself once again running late and fearing the wrath of Mrs. Marget. Desperately trying to make it to my class on the fifth floor, I felt as though I was running a marathon instead of a short distance. It was as if the fifth floor had magically transformed into the fiftieth floor, causing me to cry out for divine intervention.

I swear it feels like I should be climbing the Burj Khalifa or something! Oh, for goodness sake, help me out here, God! Maybe I should ask Sofia about Mrs. Marget's current mood before I make my grand entrance, is she in a happy-happy mood or did she have a fight with her husband?

As I frantically search through my bag, which has magically turned into Ali Baba's cave, my phone seems to have vanished. I manage to find all manner of things except my phone. Although I do eventually locate the elusive rubber band I'd been after for days, so we'll call that small victory. Why does the universe always play these mischievous games with me?

Alas, in a moment of utter chaos, I end up literally hitting a wall, falling onto my backside with an almighty thud. Why on earth would I walk diagonally like that anyway? When I glanced up, I realized that I had accidentally collided with Sam's chest instead of a wall. Oh my goodness, what on earth is he doing here? "I just wrapped up my lecture, so I'm headed off to grab some food."

Did he just read my mind or did I accidentally blurt out my thoughts? I can't help but rub my forehead, realizing that this is the second time today that I've been hit in the face thanks to my clumsiness.

"No, I can't read minds, but it would be nice if I could guess," he chuckles, extending a hand to help me up. I reluctantly take his hand and he pulls me to my feet. Ohhh God, this is so embarrassing... "Are you alright?" he asks, placing his hand on my shoulder and leaning in closer to check if I hurt myself.

The proximity of his face to mine sent my heart into a frenzy, Trying to remain composed, I managed a response, "I'm fine." His laughter eased the tension as he teasingly said, "You are cute," and playfully pinched my cheek. As a shy person, I was a blushing mess. "I... I think I should go. I'm already late. We can talk later." I stammered, feeling my cheeks turn red. Why did I have to be so shy? I mentally scolded myself as I awkwardly walked away, missing the chance to have a proper conversation with him.

We had never really talked face to face before... "Ana," he called out, and I turned around to see him looking nervous. He's nervous? HE IS NERVOUS. My heart skipped a beat. "Yes?" I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper. "Umm... you know, we've never really had a proper conversation in person. We talk a lot online, but I want to talk face to face," he said, his nervousness evident.

He's cute, I thought to myself. "So... umm...," I trailed off, not knowing what to say. I've never been in this situation before, so I was at a loss for words and actions. You can't blame me for that, right? "So, I was thinking for the past few days that maybe we could go and grab some coffee or something," he said, his nervousness reaching new heights.

"Like a date?" I asked, taken aback by his suggestion.

"Yeah, like a date. But if you don't want to..." . "Yeah, let's go," I replied, cutting him off mid-sentence. I didn't want him to finish that sentence. "I thought you would say no..."

"Why would I say no?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"You mean, you would have agreed a long time ago if I had asked you out," he explained with a smirking face. God, he looks so sexy with that smirk on his face.

"I mean, yes, no... I mean to say no..."
"So, you don't want to go on a date with me!? But you just said yes..." he teases, driving me crazy. He sure loves to tease me a lot. "Oh God, no, I mean yes, ughhh, I should go. Bye..." I say, practically running away. I hear him shouting bye, and I'm sure he has his famous smirk on his face, something that I sometimes want to just rub off his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I apologize for the delay in providing an update. I was occupied with my exams, which prevented me from posting the story.

I hope you enjoyed reading it, and I would appreciate your votes and comments.

~Jennifer