Chapter 4

While she felt relieved after she said it, she also wished for the earth to open and swallow her whole. As an introvert, she was not used to expressing her emotions openly, so much more to somebody she was crushing on. 

Ever the gentleman, Bryan did not tease her any further and just smoothly opened a new topic. They talked over the phone until close to midnight. Bryan had reluctantly ended the call and said that she should go to sleep since she had class the following day. 

How can she immediately go to sleep when she is on cloud nine? Serene relished all the events of that day that involved him — their conversations during lunch, their instant messages, and their phone call. She recalled the sound of his laugh, and how the corner of his eyes wrinkled whenever he laughed so hard, how bright his eyes looked or how his mouth moved when he spoke. 

She did not know how sleep eventually got the better of her because at the next moment, as if just a wink passed, her alarm sounded.

Although she only got a few hours of sleep, she did not feel irritated at all. Rather, she reached for her cellphone from the bedside table and switched off her alarm with a smile on her face. It was another night of sweet dreams. She blankly looked at her mobile phone. Unknowingly, her lips stretched to a wide smile when she saw a message from the culprit why she did not complete her sleep. 

“Good morning, Dear! Have fun today”

Serene typed, erased, and re-typed her reply countless times. Finally, she settled with just “Good morning”.

She face-palmed after hitting send because she felt her reply was perfunctory. Alas, she got her confirmation. Seconds after sending her two-word message, she received a phone call. 

“Hi” his voice was husky. He seemed to have just woken up too.

“Hi” just like last night, she felt shy talking to him even if she cannot see him. She stared at her feet and played with the carpet.

“What’s with the brief responses? Where was the spirited girl I was talking to last night?” there was a hint of teasing from his voice.

“Uhmm...” She heard crisp laughter from the other line.

“Have fun today, Dear. I’ll catch some Z’s and will see you later,” he said in a single breath and ended the phone call. 

The other line has long dropped the call, but Serene kept looking at her phone with a stupid look on her face. “Did I hear it right, see you later? Is that what he said?” These questions kept circling her head throughout the day.

Things between them kicked off that way. The two of them along with friends would occasionally go out on group dates or just hang out. They got to know more about each other in a relaxed manner. After several group dates, they just smoothly transitioned to going out together. They would have casual meals or would watch a movie. Sometimes they would just stroll at a park, seat on a bench and talk until the sun sets. 

In one such moment, when she and Bryan were quietly sitting on a bench in the campus as they waited for Mary’s class to finish, he suddenly grabbed her hand, held it tight and softly planted a kiss on it. He looked at her in the eyes, and in all seriousness said, “I love you, Serene.”

Naturally, the declaration surprised her. She had dreamed of this moment countless times. And hearing him say these words now, she just looked at him for half a minute. 

She stared at the bottomless black orbs that looked at her. She can see how her face reflected in them. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, and her brain seemed to stop functioning because for the life of her, not even in her wildest imagination would she dare do what she was about to do next. 

She leaned closer to him and planted a soft kiss on his lips. The kiss was unexpected, even for him. It was out of Serene’s character to start such an action. 

Although surprised at her sudden kiss, when she began to pullback, he reached out to her cheeks and deepened the kiss. Both were oblivious to their surroundings. Serene did not mind that they were publicly displaying affection, and it was her who started it for crying out loud. Nothing else mattered to her at that moment but this.