Link Up ✔️

Chapter 24

If I could avoid all boys, I would. They seemed to make my life that much more difficult. I avoided Todd and canceled all my study sessions with him that week. I only spoke with King in class. And as for Diallo...he was still avoiding me.

Friday night the crew and I attended a party held by one of the fraternities. It was all the way popping. We got loud and crazy and had a blast. I felt free and danced with several people and did not embarrass myself. King was not there. Of course, not Todd. Even Diallo was not there.

I did not care. With my friends, we had a good time. I needed this time to just be free and have fun before I made my next big move.

Early Saturday morning, I knocked on Diallo's door.

He opened it, again looking like the Mr. Perfect he was. Curly hair all frizzed out, wrinkled, white t-shirt, blue, plaid pajama bottoms, bare feet. He was still perfect after just waking up.

"Hey, what's up?"

His eyes were stunningly dark brown. I wanted to stand there and stare into them.

"Focus Rayvn!" I yelled to myself.

Out loud I said to him, "Can we talk?"

He opened the door wider to let me in, and I took a few steps inside.

"Is this one of my RA duty things, I need to break up a fight with you and your roomies? You're not getting along? Hogging the shower?"

"No," I said, looking around his room. It was immaculate. I had never been inside his room. It was different from mine. There was only one bedroom door, and his living room area was smaller, but he had a separate office area with a desk and a chair on either side. Probably to talk to wild residents on our floor. He did not have a kitchenette at all. He had a fridge and microwave, but nothing else.

"Then what's up?"

I walked over and took a seat on his small gray sofa. "It's more personal."

"Oh." Diallo stood there, still a distance away from me. " Having problems with your boyfriend?"

I furrowed my brow. Where was he getting his information? "Boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend."

Now he was getting upset, rubbing his hand across his messy curls. "That guy...King."

"He's not. We're just friends. Sorry, I didn't make that clear. Is that why you've been standoffish to me?"

"I don't want to step on another guy's toes. If you and he have something going on I don't want to be in the way. I like you and..." He stopped himself, looking away.

"I like you too."

He turned back to me, then walked over and sat on the couch with me. "Don't say that because you feel sorry for me or something."

"No! Diallo, I liked you from the moment I first met you. I didn't think someone like you would like somebody like me. This awkward girl, with no clue about boys."

He took my hand.

"I understand that Rayvn. I just think I'm the right guy for you."

Really? Did he really say that to me? I was all warm and fuzzy inside, just as I expected I would be.

"I just think," he went on. "That if you chose to be with me, I would know how to treat you right. Let you lead the relationship. Go however fast or slow you want. But I know I don't like sitting by seeing you with another guy when I know that should be me holding you, hugging you...getting to kiss you."

Well...was I going to tell him I kissed his sister? First kiss ever and I kissed his sister. No, I wasn't going to tell him that. It meant nothing. Gay was just showing me how to kiss so when it finally happened with someone I knew what I was doing. She was a great kisser. I was wondering if he was the same.

One part of me, about ninety-nine percent part of me wanted to move close to him and test my kissing skills his sister taught me. It had to be more magical. Just saying.

That one percent of me won. "Take it slow Rayvn Nicole Lawrence."

"Would you be okay with just holding hands and hugs? I'm new to this and I-"

"I would be happy just being in your presence."

Aaaawww! My heart was doing the running man since I did not want to hop up and do it for real and embarrass myself. Mr. Perfect was perfect. Perfectly a gentleman.

"So, you will be my girl?" He gave me the Hottie McHottie smirk.  "No other guy getting my hugs?"

All I could do was nod my head like a bobblehead.

I had a boyfriend now.

"Well...you have any plans for the day? Want to hang out with me?"

"What are we doing?"

"I was just planning on hiding out in my room, chilling, but if you want to do something, we can do whatever you want."

I was nervous. I did not know what to say. Should we go out and about, and show people that we were a couple now? Go to the game, hold hands, parade him around because I was proud of the fact that someone like Diallo wanted a girl like me. I wanted to walk however many miles around campus, holding his hand and shouting to every single person I saw, "He's my boyfriend."

I wanted to go to Addison's where a lot of people would hang out after the game and share apps with him, smile, and look into his eyes.

I wanted to drive him home to St. Louis and show Angel, my father, my sister, my friends Chantel and Juji how I caught a hottie.

I wanted to run down to my suite and tell my roomies.

I wanted to go on a proper date, as I did with King, maybe back to Bonkers to see if we could have that much fun.

Or I wanted to go to Mizzou's museum, see if he could educate me and make me laugh like Todd.

But no, I was getting ahead of myself.

"No, we can just hang out here, watch TV or something."

"Great."

Netflix and chill, literally that and no other context. We watched some goofy cooking reality shows. He held my hand sometimes, hugged me and we talked a bit about whatever we were watching. He was a perfect gentleman, just as I hoped.

I was Mrs. Perfect.

A/N: Y'all did not see those flags on play I planted? Well...just because she chose one, does not mean she chose right. I'm messy. If you read my other works (and if you didn't, why not?) you know I like to bring extra drama.

He may be a nice guy, a gentleman, all that...it doesn't mean he is right for our girl. What do y'all think?