It's often said that men generally fall in love because of desire, while women desire because of love. However, there are exceptions, especially when the other person is someone who can't ignore. Women tend to be romantics, as seen in those dramatic romance stories where the female protagonist after being captivated by charming and domineering men, eventually fall hopelessly in love with the very people who hurt them the most, yet she feels no regret.
Sandra wasn't sure how to deal with her loveless encounter. She thought she could just laugh it off. But reality proved that what is done leaves a trace, and what is experienced leaves a memory. Lying alone in bed, half-awake, she couldn't shake off those blush-inducing memories that flashed through her mind.
She should have been able to pick it up and put it down easily. After all, she had only used him as a way to get back at that jerk and to alleviate her own frustration. But thinking this way wasn't good; it meant she was taking the jerk's hurtful actions seriously. Only fools take jerks seriously, and she didn't want to admit she was a fool.
" Sandra, I think you should get a new boyfriend," her roommate April suggested a month after Sandra's breakup with the jerk.
Sandra was standing sideways in front of a mirror, applying a patch to her waist, patting it firmly in place. "Why? Can't I live without a man now?"
April, curled up in her computer chair, resting her chin on the backrest with her hands, said, "You were so calm everyday when you were with him. Now you're always getting into fights, covered in bruises, and you've stopped dressing up or wearing makeup.. You've lost all your femininity."
"What's the point of femininity? Can it fill my stomach?" Sandra tugged down the hem of her oversized T-shirt and twisted her waist. "The tournament is coming up, and I plan to at least win a silver medal next year."
"Be careful, or you'll be too tough for any man to handle, and then you won't be able to get married."
"I'm only twenty; I'm not in a hurry to get married. I'll worry about it if I'm still single in ten years." Sandra had no idea that she would still be unmarried ten years later.
April squinted her eyes and beckoned her over with a mysterious expression.
"What is it?" Sandra instinctively sensed danger, like a cat with its ears perked up.
"Come here." April grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. "I have a question for you."
Sandra leaned against the desk, cracking her knuckles. "What is it?"
April shrank back, "You look like a thug; I'm afraid to ask."
Sandra rolled her eyes and pretended to leave. "Never mind then."
"Hey, don't go." April tugged at the corner of her T-shirt, looking like a little kid begging for candy.
Sandra looked down at the top of April's head. "Spit it out."
"Well... um... it's just... um..." The more she rushed, the more April stammered.
"What? Did someone online harass you again?"
April's online alias was too catchy, and with the painting Sandra had done of her as a model for a nude back, she often attracted unnecessary trouble. Sandra had asked her to change it, but April refused, saying that since no one wanted her in real life, she at least wanted to feel desirable in the virtual world.
"No... not online..." April murmured like a mosquito.
"What? Could it be one of the students in my art class?" Sandra rolled up her T-shirt sleeves to show off her triceps. "Which brat is it?"
"No, no," April quickly explained, "I just wanted to say... I got a boyfriend..."
Sandra looked at her roommate, who was clutching her shirt in a shy manner, and it took her a moment to process. Then she shook April's hand with excitement, "Congratulations, April, congratulations! I knew someone would see the good in you."
Her mood suddenly lifted. Although her own love life was a mess, she was genuinely happy for her friend. "Who is he? A senior student from the computer science department? Or the math department's teaching assistant?"
April shook her head.
"Did you meet him online?"
April shook her head again.
Sandra frowned in confusion. Her roommate didn't seem to have many friends, being too much of a homebody. Except for occasionally helping Sandra with modeling on weekends, she didn't interact with many people.
"Could it really be one of my students?"
"No," April denied. "Remember I told you about that guy who looked me up and down..."
"... and then disdainfully said, 'You're not that good-looking,' that jerk?" Sandra interjected.
April nodded.
"Are you serious? He said that to your face, and you still accepted him?" If it were her, she would have punched him so hard he'd be searching for his teeth on the ground.
"That just proves he isn't with me because of my looks." April said with a blissful, foolish expression.
Sometimes, women's logic can be baffling. Sandra remained silent. She was a bit worried; her friend was too naive and had never been in a relationship before, making her vulnerable. A man who could say something like that wasn't just straightforward—he was potentially toxic. Thinking about it, it seemed she wasn't much better off.
"Well, bring him over sometime so I can meet him," Sandra said. Even if she was a failure in relationships, she was still more rational than April.
They were quite the opposite pair: one overly tough and rational, yet studying art; the other a dreamer, yet majoring in engineering.
"Sure, sure," April said, shaking Sandra's hand back and forth, her thick glasses slipping down her nose and her face lit up with joy. "He's super handsome."
Sandra frowned slightly. That didn't sound too promising.
YOU ARE READING
Love for One Night
RomanceShe never thought a one-night stand would happen to her. In his arms, she felt a fleeting sense of security. Beyond the support of his broad shoulders, the whole world seemed distant. Under his wings, it felt as if there was nothing to worry about...
