Please Confess Your Love to Me(2)

3

In order to prepare for the upcoming fitness test, my roommate and I jogged on the field at night. We coincidentally saw Maverick playing basketball.

My roommate sincerely commented that Maverick had really fair skin, which was particularly eye-catching among a group of tanned boys who just came back from boot camp.

I concurred with her opinion. I wouldn't have my head full of bees if he was just an average guy.

Tina encouraged me to take the initiative. After all, one needed to fight for love. I thought it made sense, so I went to the supermarket with a blushed face to buy a bottle of Gatorade and stood next to the basketball court, ready to deliver the beverage to Maverick.

Maverick saw me and asked, "Are you jogging?"

"Yeah, I'm going to undergo a fitness test soon."

"Wait for me."

Before I could understand what he meant, a basketball flew toward my face. Maverick, who was standing beside me, held his hand in front of me in time and steadily grabbed the basketball.

He threw the basketball, and it fell right through the hoop.

Three points!

The coherent movements made everyone on the scene scream. Tina stood beside me and pinched my hand. "Are you okay?"

I was still mesmerized by Maverick's smooth action just now and shook my head.

Maverick took the drink from me and ran over to greet his teammates before coming back. "Let's go. I'll jog with you."

Tina winked at me and whispered, "Good luck."

My face turned red. Judging from his attitude, I could boldly say that we would be deeply in love soon.

"Do you play basketball every night? Your posture looked very professional, and besides, if it weren't for you, my face would be disfigured by now."

I rummaged through my brain to come up with topics to chat about with him. Meanwhile, Maverick walked steadily next to me. "You can't talk while jogging, or you'd get out of breath easily."

I was dumbfounded.

"Okay," I said.

We jogged five laps around the field. By the end of it, I was so tired that I stopped and panted heavily while waving my hands repeatedly. "No. I can't do it anymore. I'll die if I run some more."

"How long does it take for girls to complete an 800-meter run in the fitness test in order to score full points?"

"3 minutes 20 seconds." I said in between gasps, "I don't need full marks. I just need a pass."

"There was no precedence for the Students' Union to have a member whose performance was below excellence. I'll jog with you for a few more laps tomorrow."

My eyes lit up at the invitation. Tomorrow?

He was using the fitness test as an excuse to approach me. Haha! Men!

Before I could figure out how to say yes elegantly and with dignity, Maverick looked at me with sheer doubt. "You look sturdy. How come you're weak in running?"

"Look sturdy?"

Was he talking about me?

I underestimated Maverick's obsession with one thing. Since our conversation, he waited for me downstairs at 7 p.m. every evening to jog. He was as punctual as the daily news broadcast.

Everyone in the dorm felt that I would be in a relationship soon. If I were not the one in the story, I would have held the same view as them.

During this period, I found that Maverick's mind worked differently from that of other men. If other men asked a girl to jog with him, they were probably using it as an excuse to ask the girl out.

When it came to Maverick, however, he merely focused on jogging.

After jogging, he didn't even take a break to enjoy the starry sky and the moon. He just rushed me back to the dormitory to take a shower.

I was looking for a boyfriend, not a coach. Being able to run fast was of no use to me. It was not like I was going to participate in the Olympic Games.

I didn't want our condition to drag on like this, so I asked Maverick after running one day, "Maverick, you have to attend classes and deal with the Students' Union affairs every day. How do you have time to accompany me to jog on top of everything you have to do?"

But he replied without any hesitation, "Didn't you ask for my help?"

"What?"

"When I was playing basketball the other day, didn't you buy a drink and ask me to help you pass the fitness test?"

Maverick must be a clueless man!

I didn't mean that.

I certainly had no recollection of asking for his help to pass the fitness test.

Sensing my exasperation, Maverick smiled, "I asked you to do it. I was bored jogging by myself every night and asked you to accompany me."

This sounded more like it.

The fitness test ended and thanks to Maverick, I passed with excellence.

When I was having a hard time choosing a suitable gift for Maverick to express my gratitude, I received a gift from him first.

This time, the packaging box was much smaller than that of the vacuum flask. It looked like something delicate, judging from its size, but its weight was quite pressing.

It was a pair of dumbbells...

And he even picked a pink one, perhaps after taking into account my gender.

There was also a note printed by the seller: [Keep fit. Don't relax, even for a moment.]

I suddenly recalled that he said I was sturdy the other day.

Suddenly, I lost the desire to get a gift for him.

4

There was a rumor in the Students' Union that Maverick was in love with Deborah Kane, the deputy head of the publicity department.

The reason was that someone saw them on a date in front of the cinema, and Maverick was even carrying a doll.

I couldn't deny that the cinema was indeed a nice place for couples. After all, it was so dark in there.

I controlled my emotions. On the outside, I still maintained a joyful facade, but I had already cursed Maverick countless times in my heart.

This scumbag was flirting everywhere and trying to be a ladies' man.

How dare he seduce me when he already had a girlfriend?

In the evening, I saw Maverick walking side by side with Deborah from the school gate. My face fell. I pretended not to see them and turned around, walking back to where I came from.

Deborah was quite enthusiastic and called me from behind, "Isn't that Yuliana? Yuliana!"

I was forced to stop and waved my hand absentmindedly. "What a coincidence, Maverick, Deborah."

After saying that, I turned around quickly and was about to run away again before my hat was grabbed by someone from behind.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?"

I couldn't believe Maverick would grab my hat in front of his girlfriend. Didn't he have a sense of propriety?

I was so dejected that I no longer cared if they were the president and the head of a department of the Students' Union. I replied exasperatedly, "I need to use the toilet."

I took two steps forward and suddenly felt someone following me.

"Where's Deborah?"

"She went home."

I wondered why Maverick didn't go back as well and was instead following me.

We walked all the way to my dormitory. Maverick handed me the bag in his hand and said, "I bought this for you."

I was stunned. Then, he nudged me forward. "I thought you wanted to use the toilet? Hurry in."

I opened the bag, and there was a Pepe the Frog doll in it. Its ugliness could probably make the children cry.

I realized this was the thing he had been holding during the date. I wondered about his intention in giving me the doll.

I sent Maverick a message, and he replied: [I bought it because it looks just like you.]

He thought this ugly frog looked like me?

Deborah came to my dormitory and caught a glimpse of Pepe the Frog I left on the bed. She was a little surprised. "Isn't this the doll Maverick got from the claw crane? So it turns out the gift is for you."

I merely hummed a confused snort, unsure of what was going on.

Deborah explained to me, "On that day, I went shopping and met Maverick on the first floor playing with the claw crane. I asked him curiously. He said he wanted to get a doll for a girl."

She added with an ambiguous look, "I didn't expect you to be that girl."

My face turned red. I couldn't imagine Maverick, who had always been solemn, standing in front of a claw crane expressionlessly as he tried to get a doll for me.

I was worried that Deborah would misunderstand our relationship, so I hurriedly wanted to explain. But Deborah said that they were not a couple at all. The meeting that day was purely coincidental.

This blooper made me more sure of my feelings for Maverick.

After the series of events, my roommate thought I should take the initiative. "You should ask Maverick out to watch a movie and see how he reacts."

People had to be brave for love.

Hence, I used the excuse that I wanted to thank him for giving me the gifts and invited him to watch a movie.

He accepted my invitation.

On that day, the whole dormitory became my stylist. Some chose my dress, some helped me to put on makeup, and some styled my hair.

I stepped out in my high heels, mini skirt, and a face of intricately-done make-up, ready to impress Maverick. That was when I saw Maverick leaning against the locust tree next to the dormitory, clad in a simple white shirt and jeans.

I felt bad to disrupt such a serene scene.

Maverick walked up to me and said, "You... Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Huh?"

Maverick bent over suddenly and stared into my eyes.

I lowered my eyes shyly, and my eyelashes fluttered in the wind.

"Your eyes are blue."

As he spoke, his fingers were still drawing around my eyes. "Is it because you didn't have a good rest or that you were beaten?"

I sat in the theatre, and Maverick's questions kept ringing in my ears.

He thought that I was beaten...

I deliberately chose a romantic movie with a high rating that was released recently. There were inevitably a few scenes of people making out and hugging in the movie.

In my vision, the two people who had feelings for each other would sit side by side, snuggling with each other throughout the movie. The one that was sentimental would wipe their tears away when there was an emotional scene in the movie, and the other one would touch her fingers as a way to offer comfort. By the time the film was over, we would officially be a couple.

After waiting for a long time, the exciting kissing scene finally came.

My cheeks turned red. I stole a glance at Maverick to see his reaction, only to find that he was asleep.

Yes, he literally fell asleep.

The popcorn in his hand tilted slightly toward me, and his eyes were shut tightly.

I sneered and ate all the popcorn.

We came out of the theater with the crowd when the movie ended. I deliberately asked him if the movie was good.

He paused before he said, "Not bad."

I pressed further. "Then which scene do you think impressed you the most?"

Maverick paused for a moment. "The scene where you finished up the large popcorn all by yourself."

After saying that, he asked me confusedly, "Wouldn't you get a bloated stomach?"

At this moment, I wondered if love existed merely to annoy people.

Or perhaps I had been holding a wishful imagination of Maverick?

5

I put the giant vacuum flask, the pair of pink dumbbells, and the ugly frog doll side by side at the head of the bed. "Girls, do you think I've misunderstood his feelings for me? Maverick is not looking for a girlfriend, but a friend."

"No way. I've heard about Maverick for a long time. He has never been in a relationship throughout his three years in university. It was said that many people confessed their love to him but were met with rejections. He's so enthusiastic about you. It's impossible to say that he has no feelings for you."

As a person experienced in romantic relationships, Tina stared at the gifts I displayed and shook her head. "But judging from these three gifts alone, I have to say that Maverick has quite unique taste."

"Maverick is as blunt as a hammer."

Lily Zordan, one of my roommates, propped her upper body out from the bunk and said, "My boyfriend sat in front of me in high school. At that time, he'd point out that I had pimples and thick pores on my face every single day. I was so angry that I wanted to blacklist him, but after graduation, he suddenly confessed his love to me and gifted me a facial cleanser."

Tina also joined the discussion. "Speaking of which, I also remember one occasion in my life. There was a senior who pursued me before. I asked him what he liked about me as I didn't look good. In response, he replied that he didn't mind that I didn't have a great appearance, and he said liked ugly girls."

"How did you respond?"

"I told him that I'm sorry, and I don't like ugly guys."

I doubled over from laughter and gave Tina a thumbs-up. Suddenly, I felt Maverick's gifts were not all that bad.

Right then, Maverick sent me a message on WhatsApp. I opened it at once and it was actually a photo of me.

The photo should have been taken on the day of the campus singing competition. The photos were edited. I stood in the middle of the stage with my head slightly raised and the corners of my mouth were also slightly lifted. Coincidentally, I was looking at the camera.

[Where did you get it?]

[I took the photo myself.]

He took pictures of me in secret.

I pulled the quilt over my mouth and snickered as I replied: [Your photography skill isn't that bad.]

After a while, Maverick replied: [I think so too. Besides, you look great.]

I suddenly jolted up from the bed, and my face flushed. "Girls, I've decided to give Maverick another chance."

I would soften him with my love.

But unfortunately, our exam week was fast approaching.

Everyone needed to focus on the revision for the impending exam. During this period, I only chatted with Maverick once in a while. I complained to him that mathematics was too difficult for me.

Unexpectedly, the next morning, Maverick sent me a message saying that he was in the library and asked me to meet him if I had time.

I was wondering what he was doing when he texted: [I'll revise mathematics with you.]

If someone asked me what it was like to do revision with my crush, I would say that it disrupted my study a lot.

I had no interest in going through those difficult questions, for I just wanted to look at him.

Two days later, I learned nothing about mathematics, but I did revise the menu of the cafeteria with Maverick.

I felt that I was going to fail the exam if the situation persisted. In the end, I decided to keep a distance from him temporarily before the exam and resumed my daily study with my roommates.

The next day, he gave me a notebook, which was full of formulas and solutions written in pen.

I saw the dark circles under Maverick's eyes. "Did you write it yourself?"

Judging from the content of this notebook, I reckoned that Maverick had stayed up all night preparing it.

"I'm worried you can't get the key point of the syllabus." Maverick flicked my forehead. "If you fail this time, it would feel as though my efforts have gone to waste."

My heart softened when I saw his smile. At that moment, I decided that it was him whom I wanted to be together with.

At the end of the final exam, I was going home. I carried my luggage downstairs that day and found him standing and waiting at the door like a stationed guard.

Seeing me, he took the suitcase very naturally and said, "I'll send you to the station."

I asked knowingly, "Our Students' Union also provides drop-off service?"

Maverick hummed and said, "We don't do it for everyone. It depends."

"Depends on what?"

"For example, we will provide this service to those who are dull-witted and can't find the station safely. For those who are seriously lacking intellectual acuity, I would send them to the station personally."

He was insinuating that I was stupid.

I took back the suitcase and said huffily, "I don't need your help!"

Maverick bent his wrist slightly and said, "I was afraid that you couldn't carry the heavy suitcase by yourself, so I came here purposely to help you out."

I let go of my hand, feeling satisfied. This was more like it.