I'm In Love With You

Chapter 8

I'm in Love with You | Chapter 8

You are the knife I turn inside myself; that is love. That, my dear, is love."
― Franz Kafka

Nathan's POV
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
I wanted to bang my head on the wall, what even in this world was happening to me? This woman has literary started to haunt me. Xavier was already inside and he had made himself on the table nearest to where Ariel was standing.   I took a deep breath and pretended that I had not seen her. That was the only to pretend like nothing had happened that she was just my  sister 's best friend that I had always seen growing up because she was always with my sister. 

"What do you want to eat?" I heard Xavier ask with his head buried in the menu, "I am not a no carb diet, Coach will kill if I don't loose some weight before the game season, I really want to make it this time." The pressure was getting real, senior year was about to begin and a lot of us were scared, although none of us rarely said it. A lot of people couldn't afford the college tuition fees and were hoping that they would get a full ride based on the extra circulars  that they were good at.

"How about just a cup of black coffee and some toast?" I randomly said. I wasn't that hungry anymore. I was not sure when I had my last meal.

" Okay, then  I'll have an avocado salad with some cheese on the sides and a cup of hot milk as well," he nodded as I knew it was me who would get up to place the order. I really didn't want to go but also didn't want to tell Xavier what was going on. If he knew, the whole team knew and if the whole team knew, the whole school knew as well. And if the whole school, my sister knew as well, and I didn't want to face her or her best friend. I already had a lot of things going on in my life.

"Hello, what can I get you today?" I heard Ariel speak as I approached the counter. She was talking to the customer before in the line before me. She quietly nodded to what she said and I couldn't help but notice the strand of hair that was on her face. How light brown it looked under the sunlight. She was wearing an apron on top of her school uniform and I could see the paint splashes on her sleeevee and her face. This girl was never clean.   

When the customer saw me approaching, he moved aside. When Ariel saw me, her eyes lit up, "hi baby, what's up?" I looked at her and I didn't know how to respond. I started to hyperventilate, I took a deep breath, I could feel the heart thumping in my chest. Was she talking to me? I turned around to see if there was someone else behind me. There was no one.

She looked at the guy who was standing there and said, "that's my boyfriend, Nathan," and when I heard that I thought I would just pass out. I don't know how I kept standing. Sweat was welling up on my forehead and I tried counting till ten. Before I knew what was happening- she was reaching from the counter towards me with her arms stretched out. She engulfed me in a tight hug and I just stood there with her scent overpowering every sense of my body. I think I had never gone blank before. Jesus, please safe me.

I tightly tugged her to me as she buried her head on my neck. Maybe I was just living a dream, maybe the universe knew what I needed, there was something about Ariel, something about her that made me want to protect her, to take care of her. The kind of person who I would look out for, when I couldn't make a goal during an important game. Why do things have to be so complicated- why wouldn't I just drop everything I was doing and date her? Why did I have to pretend like she didn't matter or like I did not care. Oh man. Why was I doing what I was doing? What did I have to loose?

As soon as the guy walked of, she look a deep breath and said, "sorry and thanks, that guy was very persistent. Have been visiting the diner lately, I didn't know how else to say no,"

Oh.

"Of course, after all, your baby sister's best friend," I tried to play it as cool as I could. I could see her rolling her eyes at me.

"You know, we live in a funny world, a man would not respect a woman's no but would respect her saying on when she has a boyfriend-"

"Yeah man, that means that man a bro- code, that is the greatest shit to be honest-"

When I said that, she made such a disgusting face like I had said that feminism was shit, I didn't say that, "why are you looking at me like that?" I asked her when she put her hands on her waist and raised her eyebrows at me.

"Yes, of course, " she said and rolled her eyes again, she blew the hair that was on her face away and continued, "a man would only respect a woman saying no when she has a boyfriend only because he only, mark my words , only because he respects her when she is someone's property but individually how would she say no, why would she say no? Let me rephrase, how dare she say no?"

I opened by mouth to say something but shut it again, what in the world did she say, "can you just take my order please, I'm hungry and I'm dying here-"

She huffed and said, "men," and then looked at me again and said, "what would you like to order? I recommend going a grade back or two with a side of a toast-"

This girl would be the death of me.

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Happy New Year, guys! Thank you for reading. I'd love to hear your thoughts about, what you think about the book, so far!
Love always,
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