Love Across Boarders

Chapter sixteen

I watched Darren walk out of the cafeteria from the corner of my eye, pretending not to care. But the moment he left, the air felt lighter, like I could breathe again. He'd been watching me for most of lunch, and it wasn't the first time. I didn't understand why he couldn't just leave me alone. Or why his attention made me feel so...unsettled.
"Did you see the way he was looking at you?" Sarah asked, grinning as she crunched on a chip. "I swear, if that's not a man in his feelings, I don't know what is."
I shot her a glare, but my heart wasn't in it. "Sarah, please. Darren? Feelings? He barely even sees me."
Sarah raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Girl, he doesn't just see you. He watches you like you're a puzzle he's trying to figure out. And from what I can tell, he's not doing a great job of pretending he doesn't care."
I hated that she noticed. It made it harder for me to pretend it wasn't happening. Darren's attention, his intensity, it was becoming a problem I didn't know how to solve. I had enough on my plate without him adding to the chaos in my head.
"I don't care about him," I said, trying to sound convincing. "He's just another rich kid who thinks he can control everything. He doesn't even know me."
"But he wants to," Sarah teased, nudging me with her elbow.
I rolled my eyes and stood up, grabbing my tray. "I'm not doing this with you today. I've got class."
Sarah groaned but got up to follow me. "Fine, but you know I'm right."
As we made our way toward the exit, I couldn't help but glance toward the door Darren had walked out of. Why did he get under my skin so easily? It wasn't like I hadn't dealt with guys like him before-cocky, entitled, always thinking they were better than everyone else. But Darren was different. He didn't just annoy me. He made me feel...off-balance, like I was constantly on edge around him.
And that scared me.
"Come on, Busayo, you're being too serious," Sarah said, breaking into my thoughts. "It's just a guy. You don't have to be so intense all the time."
I wanted to tell her it wasn't that simple. That it wasn't just Darren's arrogance or the way he always seemed to challenge me in class. It was the way he looked at me, like he saw something I didn't want to admit to. Something deeper than the surface level we both pretended to stay on.
"Let's just focus on class," I said, brushing off her comment. "I've got enough to worry about without adding Darren to the list."
But even as I said the words, I knew it wasn't true. He was already on the list, whether I liked it or not. He had been for a while.
We arrived at our lecture hall, and I forced myself to focus as the professor droned on about something I couldn't bring myself to care about today. My mind kept wandering back to Darren, to the way his gaze had locked onto mine in the cafeteria. There was something in his eyes, something that unsettled me because I couldn't quite understand it.
Was he trying to figure me out? Or was he just trying to get a rise out of me like always? Either way, I couldn't let him in. I couldn't afford to be distracted by him.
But deep down, I knew it was already too late.
By the end of the lecture, my head was a mess, and I needed some space to clear my thoughts. I told Sarah I'd meet her later, deciding to take the long way back to my dorm. The crisp fall air helped calm my nerves, but not enough. I found myself walking toward the library, hoping to drown out my thoughts in some studying.
As I turned the corner, I saw him. Darren, standing outside the library, his hands shoved into his pockets, looking as tense as I felt. For a second, I froze, unsure of what to do. Should I walk past him like I didn't care, like he didn't occupy way too much space in my mind? Or should I confront him, demand to know why he couldn't just leave me alone?
Before I could make a decision, his gaze snapped up, locking onto mine. My heart raced, and I hated that he could have this effect on me with just a look.
I forced myself to walk toward the library, acting like I hadn't noticed him, but as I passed, I felt the weight of his stare. It was like a challenge, daring me to acknowledge whatever was happening between us.
But I wasn't ready to face it yet.
I was almost at the library door when his voice stopped me.
"Busayo."
My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my face neutral as I turned to face him. Darren stood there, his expression unreadable, but there was something simmering beneath the surface-something that made me feel like we were on the edge of something big.
"What?" I asked, my tone sharper than I intended. I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping the gesture would shield me from whatever this was.
He didn't answer right away, just stared at me like he was trying to figure out what to say. For a moment, I thought he might walk away, that maybe he'd realized this conversation wasn't worth having. But then, he took a step closer.
"I don't know why you hate me," he said, his voice low but steady.
I blinked, caught off guard. "What are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Every time we're in the same room, you act like I've done something terrible to you. But I haven't. So what's the problem?"
My stomach twisted at his words. He had no idea. No idea that it wasn't about him, not really. It was about me-about how he made me feel, about how he brought out parts of me I wasn't ready to face.
"There's no problem," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. "You're just...you. That's all."
"That's not an answer," Darren shot back, his frustration slipping through. "You've been acting like this since day one, and I'm tired of pretending I don't notice."
My pulse quickened. This was exactly what I didn't want. I didn't want to have this conversation, didn't want to admit that he got to me in ways I couldn't explain. But Darren wasn't letting it go.
"You make everything complicated and you're too full of yourself," I muttered, more to myself than to him. But Darren heard it.
He took another step closer, his presence almost overwhelming. "Maybe that's because you want it to be complicated and I'm not full of myself."
My eyes snapped up to meet his. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Darren looked at me for a long moment, his expression softening just slightly. "I think you know."
Silence stretched between us, thick with unspoken words. I wanted to deny it, to tell him he was wrong, that I didn't care about him or what he thought of me. But the truth was lodged in my throat, refusing to be ignored.
"I don't have time for this," I finally said, turning toward the door, hoping to escape before the tension between us swallowed me whole.
But as I reached for the handle, Darren's voice stopped me again. This time, it was softer. Almost vulnerable.
"Busayo...you don't have to figure it all out right now. But don't keep pretending like there's nothing here. Because there is."
My hand froze on the door. The weight of his words pressed down on me, and for a moment, I was tempted to turn around, to confront whatever was happening between us. But I couldn't. Not yet.
Without another word, I pulled the door open and walked inside, leaving Darren standing there in the cool autumn air.
As the door closed behind me, I leaned against it, taking a shaky breath. My heart was pounding, and I hated that he had gotten under my skin again. Darren was right about one thing, though. There was something between us, something I couldn't keep ignoring.
But I wasn't ready to face it. Not yet.