Spring's Unexpected Love

Chapter 2 (Ximena)

I woke up the next morning with a churning feeling in my stomach. Today was the day I'd confess to Luka, and the very thought of it made me feel nauseous. There were so many things that could go wrong. What if he rejected me? What if it ruined our friendship? Those what-ifs almost made me reconsider my plans. But another part of me wondered: what if he didn't reject me? What if we could be more than friends? That tiny shred of hope was enough to motivate me to carry out what I had been planning for weeks.

So I got out of bed, threw on my favorite beige oversized sweatshirt and a pair of light blue ripped jeans, brushed my straight dark hair until it gleamed, and left my house with a confident smile. Confidence was the key ingredient to this whole operation; without it, I'd mess up before even starting. Deluding myself into thinking that everything would go perfectly was stage one in my plan.

The walk to school was a nice one. The chilly morning air invigorated me, putting a pep in my step as I neared the school grounds. Before I could make my way to the front steps, I was stopped by Luka, whose smile made my heart flutter. "You look happy this morning. What's the occasion?"

So he noticed a difference in my mood this morning- that was a good sign if anything.

"What do you mean; why can't I be happy?" I asked, trying to calm my racing heart. It thumped loudly in my chest, I was surprised Luka couldn't hear it as well. I needed to calm down; jumping to conclusions would only make things hurt more if my plan went south- which definitely wouldn't happen, right?

"You're always so grouchy in the morning," Luka responded, shrugging his backpack off one shoulder. He looked stunning as usual with a dark blue checkered shirt over a snug-fitting white t-shirt paired with blue jeans. His hair was styled perfectly, making him look charming yet playful at the same time. Gosh, no wonder so many girls liked him- I mean, looking at him, who wouldn't?

But it wasn't just the fact that he was handsome that had me falling harder for Luka every second; he also had a heart of gold. Although he was a bit of a troublemaker, Luka was kind to everyone he met, regardless of their background. He was also fun to be around, hence the large groups of people he often attracted. To summarize, Luka was amazing in every way possible.

"You okay over there, Xi?" Luka asked as he waved his hand in front of my face, dragging me out of my fantasy world where the two of us were together, holding hands as the school's newest couple. He raised an amused eyebrow at me, "You were staring at me like I grew two heads or something."

My eyes widened and I felt my cheeks grow warm. I pulled some of my hair forward to hide the fact that I was blushing, "What? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something."

"What were you thinking about that had you on another planet for a good minute?" he asked.

Oh, wouldn't he like to know?

Clearing any more embarrassing thoughts from my mind, I smiled at him, "The weather is so nice today. And—" Here goes... "—I was planning on taking another walk outside by the cherry blossoms today. I wanted to tell you something then, so will you come?"

Luka shrugged, "Sure," He gave me a small side hug that nearly sent me to the emergency room, "You're acting strange, but I'll make some time for my bestest friend in the world."

I tried not to let the fact that he just indirectly friendzoned me sting. Instead, I smiled brightly, "So, I'll see you at lunch?"

Luka smiled back, "Yup, see you then!" he said, patting my shoulder before waving a quick goodbye as he made his way to a group of his friends standing by the bottom of the school's stairs.

I waved back as I spotted my two friends, Elaine and Mercy, waiting nearby. "So, how'd it go?" Mercy asked when I joined them.

"Luka agreed to meet me outside at lunch," I told them, trying my best to hide a smile.