Her Bet

chapter 38

Laria

The clouds were covering over LOAN-SEN UNI, illuminating the exuberant chaos of students celebrating the last day of school. Laughter and shouts mingled in the air as friends hugged tightly.

"Can you believe we made it through another year?!" Jess exclaimed, bouncing on her toes with excitement. Pip laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

I was about to join in on the chatter, my mind racing with plans for the coming holidays, when, out of nowhere, I felt a sudden jolt in my stomach. A figure was approaching us.

Danton . The laughter around me dimmed to a muffled echo.

"What does he want?" Pip whispered, her brows furrowing in concern.

"I... I don't know," I murmured back, feeling my palms grow clammy and my throat dry. It had been nearly four months since we had broken up,

. Yet seeing him standing there, fidgety and nervous, sent a wave of surprise washing over me.

"Laria!" he called out, his voice cutting through the noise and catching the attention of everyone nearby. Students turned their heads curiously, drawn to the scene unfolding.

My heart raced as I exchanged glances with Jess and Pip, both wide-eyed and clearly shocked. "I need to talk to you... Can we?" Danton asked, his expression earnest, almost pleading.

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind.

"Um... sure," I replied hesitantly, moving slightly away from my friends, who offered me silent encouragement but stayed close enough to intervene if need be.

He took a couple of steps closer, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, looking uncharacteristically vulnerable. "I know this is unexpected, but I've been thinking a lot... about us," he started, running a hand through his hair, a nervous habit I remembered all too well.

I crossed my arms, my heart pounding. "Really? You didn't seem to think much about us the last few months. I mean I don't blame you but..." The hurt in my voice was unintentional yet undeniable.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that. I needed to be sure about certain things though ."

he said, his voice softer now.

"I understand. I wasn't as mature as I thought I was... I realize that I took a lot for granted. You're an amazing person, Danton. I messed up."

My words hung in the air between us, the bustling noise of the schoolyard around us almost fading away. I searched Danton 's face, looking for sincerity, for something tangible that could either heal or deepen us.

"What are you trying to say, Danton? The reason why you approached me I mean." I asked carefully, my chest tightening with uncertainty.

"I want to start over," he said, "not right now, but when we're both ready. I miss you, and I don't want to look back on this year regretting how things ended between us."

I felt a wave of emotions crash over me, memories flooding back: our laughter, our late-night conversations, and even our arguments-would those things be enough to outweigh the pain?

"I just needed time to think," he said continuing.

I nodded, a hint of relief washing over me.

"Well , did you think?"

"Yeah, maybe. But I thought maybe we can try as friends first ." he replied.

I shook my head .

"I can't ever be your friend Danton. I don't want to hold myself back . Or us. It's either we restart or we just forget it forever as talking strangers . But not friends. Think about it . I'll wait for your answer . "