Loving Jane

Three

Blink!

My heart raced while I sat quietly by myself on the bottom of the bleachers. The basketball team was slowly retreating to the locker room after an extensive hour of practice. At first, I was there as a mere spectator. However, today, I wasn't an audience. I was there waiting for someone. One of the players of the varsity team.

I watched with cautiously, unsure why he personally asked me to watch him practice today. My friend had a handful of ideas, which I shoved at the back of my mind as ridiculous. I don't want to have my hopes up only to be defeated with disappointment.

No. I can't allow my hope up indeed. But I did hope as much as any teenager in love.

After talking briefly with his friend, who was grinning mischievously while peering in my direction. I pretended to be oblivious but failed miserably. I kept on glancing in their direction every chance I got.

Once his friend was gone, he turned and caught my gaze. "Hey," he called, "I'm sorry about them. They don't mean to be intrusive."

I shook my head. "It's okay. I wasn't very discreet either, was I?"

He chuckled. "No, you weren't." He stood in front of me a second longer, still looking at me with his boyish grin. "Can I sit beside you?" He asked, gesturing to my side.

My cheeks slightly flushed and patted the wooden chair on my right. "Sure."

I pulled the towel hanging on his shoulder and wiped the remaining sweat on her forehead. He then hanged it back on his shoulder as he sat down close beside me. I got a whiff of his scent, which smelled sweet rather than the musky teenage sweat most boys his age. But he'd always smell good.

"I'm sorry for taking you time and asked you here," he started. "I know you'll feel – uhm – a bit uncomfortable at the bluntness of my invite. I hope I didn't start anything that'll be uncomfortable for you tomorrow..."

I interject. "No. You did nothing wrong. And I did willingly come here, did I not?"

"You did. And I'm glad that you did. I thought you won't after I've... asked you out?" His words dangled into a timid question. "I mean, I should have been the one to be waiting for you rather than letting you wait here for me." He added in a rush and started rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry about that."

"Well, I should be the one who'd feel sorry for making you do this. And I'd admit, I did try and skirt away from you, afraid to face you after that – uhm – incident." I cleared my throat. "But my friends told me I was being a jerk for letting it go on so long. So here I am."

I could feel his piercing gaze boring through the side of my face. He chuckled and shook his head. "No. You weren't being a jerk. I did offer to give you some time to give your reply. I'm the who was rash and called you out here. I'm just," he paused with a frustrated sigh. "I thought that you won't ever give me a chance." He finally said.

I turned and met his gaze, which only made my cheeks flush redder. I abruptly looked away in embarrassment. "I wasn't going to..." I trailed off. A bit shy about what I was going to say next.

"You weren't going to what, Jane?" He pressed when I didn't continue.

When he said my name, I turn my back to him, feeling like my heart was going to explode.

But then I felt his warm hand on my shoulder, slowly tugged back, urging me to face him. "Jane, it's okay. You don't have to force yourself to reply. I didn't ask you to come here for it. I called you here so that I can confess to you again. And I will say it as many times until you're comfortable with me saying it." He waited until I met his gaze before he continued. "Jane Cohen, will you go out with me?"