FATED TO LOVE {STORY OF US}

chapter 18

"Where have you been?" Ariel asked, her voice full of concern

"Emmm..." Chole started, but trailed off, not sure what to say.

"C'mon, Chole, what's going on?I called your phone but is was not reachable" Ariel pressed, her voice full of worry.

"I... I lost my phone," Chole said, her voice hesitant.

"What?" Ariel said, her eyes wide. "When? How?"

"It was yesterday," Chole said, sounding embarrassed. "I must have left it somewhere."

"Huh, so where did you go?" Ariel asked, her tone shifting from concern to suspicion.

"Well..." Chole started, but she hesitated, unsure of what to say

"Come on, don't keep me in suspense," Ariel said, her tone becoming more insistent. "Where were you?"

"Alright, alright," Chole said, her voice sounding defeated. "I was at Greg's house."

Ariel's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, what?" she said, her voice full of disbelief. "You were at Greg's house? Why?"

"Ariel, stop," Chole said, her voice pleading. "It's not what you're thinking."

"I'm not thinking anything," Ariel said, her voice calm and reassuring. "I just want to know what's going on."

"But you must have some ideas," Chole said, sounding anxious. "What do you think?"

"I'm not going to make any assumptions," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I just want to know what happened."

"Okay, okay," Chole said, taking a deep breath. "

"I think I'm falling in love with Greg," Chole admitted, her voice trembling.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Ariel squealed, jumping up and down with excitement. "You're in love!"

"Ariel, shhh!" Chole hissed, glancing around nervously. "Keep your voice down."

"Sorry, sorry," Ariel said, lowering her voice. "But this is so exciting! Are you going to tell him?"

"No!" Chole said, her voice sharp. "Absolutely not."

"But why not?" Ariel asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Because I don't know if he'll love me back," Chole said, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he will," Ariel said, trying to sound encouraging. "Greg is such a nice guy, he'd be crazy not to like you."

"You really think so?" Chole asked, sounding a little doubtful.

"I know so," Ariel said, her voice full of conviction.
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As Ariel walked out of the lecture hall, she spotted David across the courtyard. She took a deep breath and steeled herself, then walked up to him.

"Hey," she said, her voice tentative. "I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday."

David looked at her, a mixture of surprise and relief on his face. "Oh, you don't have to apologize," he said. "It's not your fault. I know it was Alex who sent me away."

"But I still feel bad about it," she said.

"It fine so how was the lecture" David asked.

"The lecture was fine," she said. "But I was so distracted, thinking about what happened. I'm just glad we can move past it."

David smiled. "That's the spirit," he said. "There's no point dwelling on the past. We should focus on moving forward." Ariel nodded.

"You're right," she said. "So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?"

********

As alex watched Ariel and David, jealousy burned in his chest. He wanted to go over there and tell them off, but he knew that would only make things worse. Instead, he turned to Greg and asked,

"Do you know what room number David is in?" Greg looked at him, confused. "Uh, yeah," he said. "Why do you need to know?"

A sly grin spread across Alex ' face. "No reason," he said. "Just curious."

But Greg could see right through him. "Oh no,I won't tell you " he said.

"Come on, Greg," he pleaded. "Please, just tell me. I promise I won't do anything bad."

But Greg was adamant. "Sorry, but I can't do that," he said. "I don't want to get in the middle of whatever is going on between you and Ariel. I don't want to make things worse."

Alex turned away, his expression a mix of anger and disappointment. He started to walk away, his steps heavy with defeat. Greg watched him go, feeling torn.

He wanted to help his friend, but he knew that getting involved would only make things worse.

He watched as Alex disappeared from view, his heart heavy with worry.

"I hope you know what you're doing," he whispered to the empty air.

********

Alex stood in front of David's door, his heart pounding in his chest. He had rehearsed what he was going to say, but now that he was actually here, he felt nervous and unsure.

Finally, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door. There was a moment of silence, and then the door opened. David stood there, his expression unreadable. "Hi," he said.

Alex just glared at him, his arms crossed over his chest. "what is going on between you and Ariel ," he said, his tone cold.

"We're just friends," David insisted, his voice rising in frustration. "I don't know what you're getting at, but there's nothing going on between Ariel and me."

"You're sure about that?" Alex asked, his voice skeptical. "You're not just saying that because you don't want me to know?"

David took a step back, looking taken aback. "What? No!" he exclaimed. "You've got it all wrong. I'm telling the truth."

"stay away from Ariel" he said

David's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Why?" he demanded. "Ariel is my friend, Why can't I hang out with her?"

Alex folded his arms across his chest. "Because I don't trust you," he said. "I think you're up to something, and I don't want you messing with Ariel 's life."

David looked at him in disbelief. "That's not fair," he said. "I would never do anything to hurt Ariel . You're just being paranoid."

David stood there, dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. It was like Alex was giving him an ultimatum - either stay away from Ariel , or face the consequences.

He felt a pit of dread in his stomach, and he couldn't help but wonder what Alex would do if he didn't listen.

"Are you serious?" he said, his voice shaking. "You can't do that." But Alex was already out the door, leaving David feeling stunned and alone.

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