Beautiful encounter

CHAPTER 14

Waking up to the sound of my alarm, I groaned, feeling the weight of yesterday's emotions pulling me down. I had completely forgotten that it was Monday-a school day-and the last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed. My body felt heavy, drained of any energy, and all I wanted was to sink back into sleep. For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, hoping the day would disappear.

Reluctantly, I reached for my phone, half-expecting the time to betray me. It was only 4:30 AM, still early. I sighed and opened my messages, not really sure what I was looking for. That's when I saw his texts-long paragraphs filled with explanations, trying to explain everything that had happened last night. Apologies flooded the screen, each message heavier than the last. I could feel his sincerity through the words, and, despite everything, my heart softened.

The anger and frustration that had kept me up faded, replaced by a sense of calm. Maybe we should forgive him, I thought. After all, nobody's perfect. A small smile crept onto my face as I typed, "It's fine, my love. Good morning po," and hit send.

With that, I slid out of bed and stretched, shaking off the remnants of sleep and yesterday's emotional storm. The morning felt a little lighter now, and I figured it was time to start my day. I headed for the bathroom, ready to wash away the rest of my fatigue.

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The days turned into weeks, and before I knew it, two months had passed. So much had happened in that time, yet one thing remained the same, it's been two months since he promised to make up for that day, but he hasn't followed through. Not once did he make the effort to ask me out or plan something to spend time together. I tried to ignore it at first, brushing it off as him being busy or caught up in other things, but as time went on, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was fading.

It's strange because I used to miss him all the time. I'd look forward to his messages, his calls, and seeing him. But now, I feel like I no longer miss him the way I used to. It's not that I don't care, I do. But it's like the excitement, the anticipation, has slowly worn off. Maybe it's the distance both emotional and physical or maybe it's the realization that I'm not as much of a priority to him as I once believed. It's starting to feel like I'll always come second, with volleyball taking first place in his life. No matter how much I've tried to convince myself otherwise, it's hard to shake the feeling that I'm competing with something that will always come before me, Or maybe I'm just overthinking everything. I keep telling myself that, hoping this feeling will eventually fade.

I shrugged off the thought, telling myself I shouldn't bother with something like this right now. It's not worth dwelling on, especially with everything else going on. Tomorrow marks the beginning of our first quarter exams, and I should be focusing on my studies, not getting lost in these feelings that won't help me at all. There's no point in overanalyzing what's happening between us, not when I have more important things to handle. I convinced myself that if I pour my energy into preparing for the exams, maybe the distraction will help clear my mind. After all, there's no use worrying about something I can't change right now.

I sat down at my study table, took a deep breath, and organized my books and notes, neatly arranging everything in front of me. I carefully pulled out the pages filled with notes I'd taken from our classroom discussions, each one a reminder of the hours spent listening, scribbling, and absorbing details. Determined to achieve the highest marks this year, I promised myself there would be no breaks, no distractions—only focus and hard work. With that resolve, I opened my first book and started reading, intent on mastering every concept, every formula, and every detail that would bring me closer to my goal.