Better Off With Whom?

Chapter-16: REJECTION?

Evelyn was stunned by the sudden confession.
'How in the world could he possibly like me?', she thought to herself.

"Evelyn, I am sure that you must be cursing yourself and undermining your own faith inside the little brain of yours.. but trust me! I am the one who should feel undermined because you, the elegant, kind, sweet soul, with me, uneducated in the area of love? Next to impossible.
You are a wonderful woman!", he said.

He tried to lock his eyes with hers. Sadly she turned away every time.
Maybe it was her shyness or possibly uninterested behaviour..
That's for Samuel to figure and Evelyn to deal with it silently.
She didn't want to reject him, crush his heart, make him feel the way she did. That too, her being his first ever crush.
She was debating on what to say.
She couldn't possibly say yes because, she had never given it a thought. But neither could tell him a cold hearted no.

'YOU SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED ADELE!',

'WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO!',

'DAMN! YOU PULLED THIS SWEET AS HONEY LOOKING GUY?',
her subconscious mind mocked her.
She repressed her inner thoughts.

"I don't know what to say..", Evelyn finally confessed.

"Me neither. I wasn't planning on telling you about this but today, it could be resisted. I tried all day! Believe me, all day.. I am aware this might have hit you in surprise but do not let it affect our friendship. I really value your presence a lot in my life..", he said as his manly voice took a soothing turn.

"I do too! But not in the way that you do.."
"Samuel! You're so wonderful too. But you know, it's been pretty hard on me considering my past experiences.. I am certainly not down for a relationship right now.. not just with you, I mean anyone..", she said. Every word she said, she looked displeased her voice soft yet shaky, her eyes apologized to him.

It took a gut for her to reject him. She didn't allow the entry of someone in her heart after what she had dealt with before.
This was the situation where no one was to blame.
It was just the circumstances that led to it.

Samuel didn't seem upset. He was rather expecting it. His expressions emphasized his awareness on what he had expected.
Nevertheless he wasn't happy either.

"And talking about us, being friends? We will be friends. Like we are! You're a great friend of mine too, it'd be a loss if I lose you..", she smiled at him as she said it.
Saying this gave her and Samuel a last resort towards their friendship. She would be feeling guilty if she didn't say so.

They both sat there and finally Chris interrupted their personal space which gave Evelyn a sense of relief because it was extremely awkward afterwards. The silence was killing her. She wanted to escape from there.
Finally she made up an excuse and fled from there, reason being her sleepy.

Samuel looked at her speedy walk towards the tent. He knew what was the reason behind it. He sighed.

Chris noticed it but said nothing. He knew Samuel was not his fan after the incident where Chris held Evelyn's hand.
Though he was genuinely helping, but a man who likes someone, surely wouldn't understand the difference between helping and flirting
He decided to remain silent and went to his tent quietly.

Samuel sat still for a while alone. He wasn't sure what to feel.
Sadness due to rejection or pride on the way he finally made the bold move.

He realised it was stupid to think about it anymore. He decided to shut off this topic and continue being friends with her.
And went to sleep.

In the morning, the four of them were ready to finally go to the resort that had their luggage and rest up and finally leave bidding goodbye to Idyllwild.

When they all started to camp back at the resort, Evelyn struggled again. Samuel rushed towards her and gave her his arm. She refused his help as politely as she could.

She didn't want him to help and waste his own time on her. She tried to distance them both from each other.
Obviously both being friends after the confession was not certainly possible even though Evelyn proposed that she would still like to be friends with Samuel.

Samuel looked at Evelyn rushing away from from him, making her movement quick.
Adele and Chris tasted the sweet coated sour environment between Samuel and Evelyn.

"What is she doing?", Adele spoke quietly to Chris.

"I think Sam was rejected.. I noticed the things air between the two last night.", Chris said.

Adele exclaimed, "WHAT? When did this happen?".

"When you dozed off to sleep!", Chris said mockingly.
"Do not say anything about it to them for a while. I beg you. Not until one of them opens up about it to you.", he added.

Adele sighed and they resumed going down.

They finally reached the resort.
They decided to take rests.
"Go in! Take a rest. You must be exhausted..", Samuel said to Evelyn.

Evelyn nodded and hummed in response with a tiny smile that was purely for the show.
She was preventing giving him false hopes.
She rushed inside the room and locked the door on his face while he stood there.

He noticed that Evelyn was avoiding him. It was quite clear. She is an open book for those who know her. And Samuel does know her pretty well.

The three of them rested for a while and in the afternoon, they had lunch and finally bid their 'see you soons' to Chris and Idyllwild.

In the car, it was opposite of what it had been like before when they were on the way here.
Their journey of return was silent. The awkwardness could be tasted even by passing through their side.

Adele was the most uncomfortable. Not being able to say anything and being aware of everything, it was a task for her.
She started a few unsuccessful small conversations that did not last up to 10 minutes.

Finally after two hours of the awkward car ride, a hope to breathe fine has arrived. They reached Evelyn's home. Evelyn and Adele were to go inside as they took their luggage when samuel uttered,
"I can come and drop Sushi off if you want-", he was interrupted midway.

"No worries! I will pick her. I miss her too much. I'll go myself..", Evelyn said.

"Go on. Rest up. It must have been tiring..you had to drive so much. See you tomorrow!", she added as she smiled.

Samuel nodded his head waving his hand as they went inside.
He got into his car.
His mind couldn't stop overthinking.

' Did I do the right thing by telling her how I felt? ',
' Is she always going to act this way? ',
' It's frustrating! ',
His brain yelled.
He reached his home and fell on his couch debating everything he had said to her.
He felt that maybe he out her into pressure that she might not feel comfortable.

The miscommunication of feelings, the uncertainty of what's going to happen later, the fading bond between Samuel and Evelyn, ate his head.

Evelyn was herself too caught up in her own thoughts. She didn't know how to feel. Good that a great guy likes her or bad because she doesn't reciprocate his feelings due to her dull past?