Xandria never expected to fall in love with a man nine years older than her. What began as a simple attraction slowly became something deeper, something she believed could last forever. To Xandria, he was everything she had ever wanted: the perfect...
I opened one eye and glanced at the clock beside my bed. 7:45 am. I groaned softly and pulled the covers closer to myself. I had no lectures today, so technically, there was no reason for me to get out of bed yet. If I forced myself up now, I'd probably spend the rest of the day feeling exhausted. I snuggled deeper into my pillow and closed my eyes again.
That was when my thoughts wandered to him. Carl. The deepness of his voice alone is enough to make my panties wet and make my pussy start dripping. And then, there was his smile. I opened my eyes again and stared at the ceiling.
What is going on with me? Why do I feel this way? Why does my heart beat faster whenever I'm close to him? Could it be that I'm beginning to develop feelings for him?
I sighed and covered my face with both hands. I pushed the covers aside as if getting out of bed would somehow make the thoughts disappear. "Enough, Xandria."
I slipped my feet into my fluffy slippers and began tidying my room. I folded the clothes I'd left on the chair, straightened my bed, arranged the books on my shelf and wiped down my desk. By the time I was finished, my room looked much better.
I headed to the bathroom and went through my morning routine before returning to my room. I opened my wardrobe and picked out something simple and comfortable. Today was supposed to be a quiet day. No lectures. No rushing across campus. No unnecessary stress. Just me and some much needed peace. At least, that was what I had planned.
I climbed back onto my bed and suddenly remembered an assignment that was due soon. "Oh, right." I grabbed my laptop and got to work.
For the next couple of hours, I was completely absorbed in it. I typed, deleted, rewrote paragraphs and checked my work several times. When I finally finished, I leaned back against my chair and let out a relieved sigh. "Finally." I saved the document and closed my laptop.
Since I still had plenty of time, I picked up one of my novels and started reading, snacking at the same time. The hours passed quietly. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, leaving warm stripes across my room. Every now and then, I would pause to stare outside, enjoying the peacefulness of the afternoon.
By evening, I realized I was hungry. But I didn't want an ordinary dinner. For some reason, I had been craving raspberry cheesecake all day. And once I had an idea in my head, it was almost impossible to let it go. So I grabbed my bag and headed to a new café I heard that opened recently.
The moment I stepped inside, the cozy atmosphere immediately put me at ease. Warm fairy lights decorated the walls, vintage posters hung between the windows, and soft music played quietly in the background. I found a comfortable seat near the window and placed my order.
A few minutes later, the waiter arrived with my cheesecake and tea. My eyes lit up. "This is exactly what I needed." The cheesecake looked almost too perfect to eat. The creamy filling sat on a golden crust, topped with raspberry sauce that added just the right amount of color.
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I took my first bite and closed my eyes. Perfect. The sweetness of the cheesecake mixed with the tanginess of the raspberries, and for a few moments, nothing else mattered. Not school. Not assignments. Not deadlines. And definitely not the confusing feelings I'd been having about a certain someone.
By the time I finished, I felt completely satisfied. I took a sip of my tea and leaned back in my chair, watching the evening sky through the window. The sky had slowly changed into beautiful shades of coral and indigo. I smiled to myself. It had been a surprisingly peaceful day. I paid for my meal and stepped outside.
The cool evening air brushed against my face as I began walking back to my room. I found myself humming quietly, replaying the events of the day in my mind. And then I saw him. I stopped walking for half a second. Carl. He was standing near the crossroads, leaning casually against a lamppost.
My heart betrayed me. It started beating faster. Of all the people I could have run into tonight. Him. I tried to act normal, but the moment he looked up and our eyes met, I knew pretending wasn't going to be easy. He smiled. I felt warmth spread across my cheeks.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi," I replied, trying not to sound as nervous as I suddenly felt.
"Heading somewhere?"
I nodded. "I'm going back to my room."
He stepped away from the lamppost and came closer to me. For a moment, neither of us said anything. It wasn't exactly awkward. I could feel myself becoming increasingly aware of every little thing, the way he stood, the sound of his voice, and the fact that he was looking directly at me.
Then he smiled again. "You know..." he started. "I've actually been meaning to ask you something."
I raised an eyebrow. "What?"
He reached into his pocket, bringing out his phone. "Can I have your number?"
My first instinct was to smile. "Sure."
I took his phone and entered my number before handing it back to him.
"Thanks."
"No problem," I replied.
Our fingers briefly brushed as I gave him his phone back, and I immediately looked away, hoping he hadn't noticed how flustered I suddenly felt. He probably had. We continued talking. At first, it was about simple things, our goals, school, assignments and how busy everything had been lately. But somehow, the conversation became easier the longer we talked. I found myself laughing more than I expected. He was surprisingly easy to talk to.
After a while, I glanced at my phone and realised it was getting late and I needed to head back to my room. "It's been nice talking with you, but I should start heading back. It's getting dark."
He nodded, though there was a slight reluctance in his expression. "Yeah." Then he smiled. "We should hang out one of these days, I could suggest a day and get to know if it would work with you and if it doesn't, you could suggest a convenient day for you and I'll try to fit it into my schedule. It was good seeing you this evening."
I couldn't stop the smile that appeared on my face. "Okay."
"Take care."
"You too, Carl."
I turned and continued walking toward my room. After a few steps, I couldn't resist looking back. He was still standing there. Our eyes met one last time. He smiled. I smiled back before turning around again.
As I continued walking, I pressed my lips together, trying to hide the ridiculous smile spreading across my face. I couldn't believe I had given him my number. I couldn't believe we'd actually talked. And most importantly. I couldn't believe how happy the thought of seeing him again made me feel.
Maybe it was just a harmless crush. But as I walked back beneath the evening sky, one thing was becoming increasingly difficult to deny. Carl was slowly becoming someone I looked forward to seeing.
