My First Crush

5

After that incident, Anna started to ignore Ben completely. She would arrive in class at the last minute and sit completely far from Ben. After the class, she would disappear without a word, Ben also noticed that she was avoiding him. and it made him uncomfortable.

One day, Maria called all three of them to meet up at a coffee shop in the evening. However, at the last minute, Anna did not show up and gave some excuses for her absence. Jake and Ben understood that Anna was purposely not coming to meet them.

Ben tried to reach out to Anna to talk about what happened between them, but she continued to ignore him. Ben was hurt by Anna's behaviour and wondered what he could do to make things better.

He finally plucked up the courage and showed up in front of her one day, calling out her name and saying,

"Anna, wait, don't leave. I need to talk to you."

Anna stopped but did not look at him. She stood there, waiting for him to say something. Ben was feeling intimidated and unsure of what to say. He finally said,

"I know we haven't been getting along lately and I just wanted to talk to you and try to make things better."

Anna finally looked at him. Ben continued,

"I know you're hurt, but this kind of behaviour won't make things better."

"Don't avoid me like this Anna," Ben said hurtfully.

Anna looked at him, her expression unreadable. She seemed to be considering what he had said. However, after a few moments of silence, she finally said,

"I don't know how to face you after that incident but actually I didn't mean it.

"Ben, I am so sorry, it just happened. But trust me, now I can see you as Maria's boyfriend."

Ben nodded his head and said,

"It's okay, I understand. Let's move past this and start fresh."

He extended his hand out towards Anna in a gesture of friendship. Anna hesitated for a moment, before finally reaching out and taking his hand in hers. They shook hands, a gesture of understanding and forgiveness between them.

Ben smiled and said, "Let's start over."
Anna smiled back and nodded her head in agreement.

Anna and Ben's relationship has been improving lately and they have finally reached a point where Anna feels comfortable around him.

A few weeks later,

Anna had finished her class and headed to the basketball court to watch Jake's match. When she arrived, she saw Jake playing against the opposing team. Jake's team was leading the match and Anna cheered loudly for him.

Jake noticed her in the crowd and waved at her with a smile. He was clearly energized by her presence. Anna smiled and waved back and continued watching him play.

The basketball court was filled with students, mostly female, who were chanting Jake's name. As Anna watched Jake play, she saw the other female fans cheering him on and some even trying to catch his attention. It was clear that Jake was quite popular in the college.
Anna couldn't help but smile at the sight. Jake was so handsome in his basketball jersey, with his hair tied back. He was playing with tremendous energy, jumping and dunking the ball with ease.
His adaptability and skill with the ball were impressive and she could tell why he had so many female fans.

During that time, some of Jake's fans noticed that he waved and smiled at Anna, and they were curious about her. They slowly approached Anna and asked her who she was and why Jake waved and smiled at her. Anna was taken aback and nervously told them that she was Jake's closest friend and they had known each other for a long time. The fans seemed satisfied with her answer and went back to watching Jake play.
Anna breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that she had been able to avoid any awkward questions. She smiled to herself, happy that Jake's fans were so devoted and supportive.
She stayed in the stands and watched Jake play for the rest of the game. She waved to him again and Jake gave her a small nod and wink as he continued to play.
After an intense game, Jake emerged victorious, and the crowd cheered. He turned to Anna, giving her a thumbs up to show victory. Anna smiled back and clapped proud of his success. Jake ran over and hugged her, thanking her for her unwavering support. Anna returned the hug and told him how proud she was of him.
Suddenly Anna turned away from Jake, feeling embarrassed that his fans witnessed their intimate moment. She slowly stepped away from him, trying to maintain a neutral expression. She looked back at the crowd and saw that some fans had their attention focused on her. Jake noticed Anna's discomfort and held Anna's hand tightly. He looked up at her and smiled, trying to reassure her that everything was alright. He then turned to his fans and waved at them, thanking them for their support. Anna felt relieved that Jake had diffused the situation and she smiled back at him. They walked away from the crowd hand-in-hand.

Jake and Anna continued their walk, then they noticed they were still holding their hands.
They looked at each other for a moment and suddenly they took back their hands, both feeling embarrassed and giving an awkward smile.

At that moment, Ben and Maria arrived and asked Anna and Jake to join them for lunch. After a discussion, they all decided to go out together.
As the four of them walked together, they talked and laughed, enjoying their time together. Jake and Anna were both relieved to have the distraction from the awkwardness before.
After lunch, Maria and Anna said their goodbyes and headed to their dorm. Ben and Jake stayed at the restaurant a bit longer, talking about their plans and dreams for the future. Eventually, they said their goodbyes and parted their separate ways.