Mission Love

Two

Recap: I headbutted my crush.

Naveen sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his head with a wince. His dark gelled back hair was messed up from the impact, and his usually composed expression was replaced with one of confusion and mild pain.

"I'm so sorry!"
I squeak out, my face flushed with embarrassment.
"I didn't see you-I mean, I didn't mean to-"

He looked up at me, adjusting his glasses, a small  smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the situation.
"Well, that's one way to make an impression" 

Impression? Like this?

I felt my face grow even hotter.
"I'm so sorry,"
I repeated, resisting the urge to facepalm myself right then and there.

"Are you okay? I didn't, like, break anything, did I?"
I stammered, half-joking, half-praying I hadn't done any serious damage.

"I'm fine, really," he said in his usual honey dripping tone, and my heart melted like a butter on a hot pan..

"But I think I'm going to need a helmet if I'm going to run into you again."

Ha! Ha!
Awkward!!

"Maybe I should be the one wearing the helmet. I seem to have a knack for causing accidents."

"Accidents happen," he started as calm as summer's day.
Naveen chuckled softly, standing up and brushing off dust from his jeans.
"Don't worry about it. I've had worse encounters."

He's definitely making fun of the situation?
What's worse than being headbutted?

I opened my mouth to say something—anything—but my brain had completely short-circuited. All I could do was stand there, staring at him like an idiot.

Naveen seemed to sense my internal struggle because he chuckled again and took a step back.

"I'll see you around, Aisha,"
He announced already walking away, while I remain rooted to the spot.

It wasn't until he disappeared around the corner that I finally exhaled, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

Shit. Did that really just happen?

I glanced around, expecting someone to pop out and tell me it was all a prank. But no, the hallway was empty, and the dull ache in my rear reminded me that, yes, I had just headbutted my crush, and yes, we actually talked.

I groaned inwardly, resisting the urge to smack myself. Of all the ways to get Naveen's attention, this was definitely not how I'd imagined it. But then again, it's pretty normal for me to casually embarrass myself.

Well, at least he noticed me.

I shrugged. With a deep breath, I patted my pants and ran for my dear life. I signed in as quickly as possible and practically scurried to my desk, feeling a wave of relief when I realised I was just half a minute early.

Ha!

Take that Mr. Misfortune.

As soon as I plopped down in my chair, my phone buzzed, and of course, it had decided to bury itself at the very bottom of my bag, so I had to dig through the clutter—gum wrappers, stray pens, a half-eaten granola bar—before I finally found it.

Dina’s name flashed on the screen, and a pang of guilt hit me. I hesitated, my finger hovered over the answer button for quite a bit long.

Should I pick it up and suffer her wrath now or should I present my head to her later?