Love me. Choose me.

{16} Love me

I walked down the hallway toward my last class of the day—CHM 102. Although it was a practical course, the lecturer had suggested a quick run-through of the major concepts, so the practical wouldn't feel foreign to us.

I was exhausted from the lengthy revisions. Holding onto the strap of my bag, I slung it over my left shoulder as I descended the stairs.

The moment I reached the last step, I spotted my car in the parking lot. All I could think about was driving back to my dorm with one of my favorite songs playing on the stereo.

"Noelle!" a voice called out behind me. I turned to see Dean walking briskly in my direction.

"Hey," I replied, managing a small smile. Engaging in conversation wasn't exactly what I wanted, but I couldn’t ignore him, so I waited for him to catch up.

"I’ve been waiting for you to finish with Dr. Thompson's lecture," he said with a cheeky grin. "So, how’s it going?"

I sighed and took a deep breath. "I’m good, just really tired."

Dean gave me an understanding nod as we began walking toward the exit. "I get it, but you’ll be fine soon enough."

I smiled, thinking about how all the effort would be worth it if I ended up with an A in the course. That would make all this stress feel less in vain.

When we finally reached my car, I unlocked it, tossed my bag into the back seat, and turned to face Dean. He had a hesitant expression, as if he was struggling to say something.

I waited, less interested in whatever was on his mind, though curious nonetheless.

"Um, since tomorrow’s the weekend and there are no classes..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I was thinking maybe we could hang out?"

"You want to go on a date?" I asked, cutting him off.

He sighed in relief and nodded. "Yes."

I blinked, unsure of what to say at first. But after a moment, I decided that going on a date with Dean wouldn’t be the worst thing. He didn’t seem like the type to take advantage of the situation.

"Alright, sounds good," I muttered.

"Great, tomorrow at five," he said, tucking his hands into his jeans pockets. "See you then."

I gave him a polite smile and watched as he walked back into the building. Climbing into the driver's seat, I started the engine and drove off.

The drive back was peaceful until I pulled into the dorm parking lot. Climbing out of the car, I wished I hadn’t.

In the farthest corner of the field, near an olive tree, I spotted Trent with a girl who had black curly hair. She was smiling, and he was looking at her in the same way he had looked at me when we first met.

A cold chill ran down my spine as memories of the day Trent ignored me at his house party flooded back, piercing my heart like a knife.

I forced myself to look away and walked through the archway leading to my dorm, determined not to glance back.

Trent was a part of my distant past, and seeing him only reminded me never to trust a guy’s sweet words again.

I pushed open the door to my dorm room, dropped my bag onto my bed, and pulled out my phone. The image of my mom’s engagement party popped up on the screen—a reminder that her wedding was just a few days away. I sighed and set the phone aside.

A sharp ding brought my attention back to the phone. I had two messages from Dean.

Thanks for agreeing to go on a date with me. Can't wait to see you tomorrow.

I rolled my eyes at the message. I wasn’t sure how to respond, and honestly, I had no expectations about Dean or the date. I was so over the whole "romance" thing. All I really wanted was some alone time with my books.

Setting the phone aside again, I took off my sweatshirt and headed to the closet to grab a tank top just as Sawyer walked in, carrying a box and a poster. She dropped them on her bed and sat down next to them.

"How’s the preparation going?" I asked, remembering when Sawyer had told me about her plan to host a charity event to help students struggling with tuition. Her parents, who used to do the same during their college days, were sponsoring the event to encourage students from low-income backgrounds to excel in their studies.

She smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "It’s going well. Turns out, there are a lot of students dealing with financial issues."

I closed the closet and sat on my bed. "I’d be happy to help out if you need it."

Sawyer’s smile widened. "Next week is the first meeting. You can come along with me."

"Count me in," I said, feeling a sense of purpose beyond the usual grind of classes and tests.

        
                         ∞

I lay on the lawn, flipping through the pages of my BIO 101 textbook. Since it was the weekend and there were no classes, I decided to catch up on some reading. A cool breeze swept past, blowing a few strands of hair across my face. I tucked them behind my ears and continued reading.

"I knew I'd find you here," Shane said, settling down beside me.

I looked up and met his gaze before closing my book and setting it aside. "You've been scarce lately. What have you been up to?" I asked, narrowing my eyes playfully as I studied him.

"Not much, really. I haven’t been around because of all the tests we've had back-to-back," Shane explained. "Sorry about that."

"I get it," I said, lowering my gaze slightly. "It’s just that I’ve missed our friendship vibes. You know, you always snooping into my business while I act like it’s the end of the world."

Shane laughed, nudging me playfully. "Snooping? I wouldn’t call it that."

"Haha, very funny, Shane," I scoffed. "First-year jitters are almost over."

Shane’s laughter faded as he glanced at me, his expression softening. I noticed him staring and I narrowed my eyes in confusion.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.

He blinked and looked away for a moment before meeting my gaze again. "I’m just happy to see you genuinely happy for the first time in a while, without relationship drama weighing you down."

At the mention of relationship issues, my mind immediately drifted to Dean. For the first time, I started to wonder if our upcoming date might lead to something more than just a one-time thing.

What do you think about this chapter?

What's your thoughts about Dean?

Author's note

This is the moment where I had to swear to never stop writing this book until I'm done with it.
I've been going up and down with my daily activities that I forgot I'm supposed to keep the vibe of this book and storyline going.

Well, I'm back and this time I promise to blow your mind.

Happy reading.

Clara Joel