Matthew stood confidently in front of Lola. He had taken another hair cut style, a slash cut was carved out at the side of his hair style. He was looking so fine that Lola couldn't help admiring his new look. But, she kept on feigning the fact that she was not intoxicated by him.
"I see you are alone," he said, looking around, "where is your bodyguard?"
"What do you mean bodyguard?" Lola stopped to look at him, pushing herself backwards as she created a distance between them.
He grabbed her hand, squeezing her fingers lovingly, she slapped his hand away with the other of her free hand, "don't hold me that way. I'm no girl of yours," she warned him sternly.
Mathew laughed, "I truly want to make you my girl, will you accept?"
Lola scoffed, was he making a joke out of her? Certainly, he was. Yet, her heart had suddenly pummeled and did a back flip. She was going to the library as usual to get herself a textbook for an assignment and she was waylaid by Matthew.
"You should know when to back off Matthew. I do not want to be your girl and I'm not ever considering that. If you go on harrasing me, I will only have to report you to the authorities," she said to him.
One of Matthew's brows rose up skeptically, he stepped back raising both of his hands high above his head, "now I'm placed as a sexual harraser for asking you out?" He asked her.
Her heart melted, he truly was asking her out but like this? She didn't think they were ever compartable, she didn't think they would ever be. Yet, her heart was betraying her, she wanted him to reach out again to her, pull her close..... and probably the rest might be history.
"I'll stop disturbing you," he assured her, "I will stop," he intoned, smiled then started to walk away.
Lola stood watching his disappearing figure, a heavy ball was in the depths of her throats. She felt she was reaching out to him, pulling him close to see the depths of her heart but a veil was separating them both. She knew that she couldn't go a day without thinking about Matthew, she could even sense his presence without turning to look at him. She could smell his cologne....
But he was a bad boy. She doesn't deserve her. Joseph was different, so damn different from Matthew and it would do her some good if she considers him instead.
As she had guessed, Joseph also had asked her to be his girlfriend. She found it quite funny that at the same day Matthew had asked her to be his girlfriend, Joseph was also asking her to be his girlfriend.
"Why are you laughing?" Joseph asked her.
"No...I...I.. I just find it funny," she told him.
"Is it something I said?" He asked her.
"No, no, no," she waved it off, "I'm sorry, I want laughing at you," she just couldn't give away what she had been laughing at.
What then would she say she was laughing at?
"I'm just so....happy," she lied to him.
Joseph had taken her out on date to KFC, while they ate chips and chicken, he had blurted the question. Lola had perceived that there was something behind this sudden date which was coming out of the blue.
"You are happy?" He was shunned.
She scoffed, "yes, I am," the lies poured on.
"I knew you clearly have out reasons why you couldn't date me but I promise that I would treat you well," Joseph assured her.
She tried a fake smile, what was she doing? She was not what she wanted. She shouldn't have followed him to KFC, she shouldn't have laughed at the silly memory in her head, she shouldn't have....
"Lola, are you with me?" Joseph called out at her.
"Yes," she looked back at him.
"You were lost in space. What were you thinking?" he asked her.
She shrugged, "how were you able to come up with this? You never said you were taking me out on a date."
He was pleased with himself, "I wanted to surprise you. I'd known that if I'd told you, you wouldn't have taken the pain of coming out with me," he told her.
"What pain?" she laughed at that, "this is....I love the idea. Next time, you should tell me."
"And spoil the fun?" He joined in her laughter.
While they walked back to the school quarters, he took her hands in his. "I was afraid to ask you out on a date. You have given me enough reasons why you clearly never wanted a relationship, despite that I plunged in. And I'm grateful that you have accepted to be my girlfriend. I do want us to grow into something beautiful and I promise to cherish you as my very own girl," he said.
She felt weak hearing that from him, could she possibly love him, could she possibly write off his feelings for her, could she possibly over look the fact that she doesn't feel the same thing he was feeling for her?
Maybe, she could grow to love him. Maybe, she could learn to love him. Maybe she should envisage a good beginning with him. Joseph was a good guy and he would love her like he had assured her.
A chance with him would prove all that.
"A colleague of mine invited me for his 20th birthday. His name is Chad, he plays basketball. You must know him, don't you?" Joseph asked.
Lola nodded her head, "Chad, yes. I do know him. The full haired boy with a lovely smile."
Joseph smiled at that, "he is always smiling. Did you know that his parents got divorced recently?" Joseph asked.
Lola shook her head in negation, "I never knew that. How did you know that?"
"I overheard coach Raymond telling one of our lecturer," he explained.
Lola laughed, "this is not high school." Lola pointed out.
"Coach Raymond was only being considerate. Chad is one of his best. Will you go out with me to the birthday day party?"
"Will M....," Lola quickly stopped herself short.
"You were saying?" Joseph asked her.
"No, nothing,"
She knew what she'd wanted to say. She had only wanted to know if Matthew would be coming to the birthday party. But, Matthew wasn't in her level. She was his senior so, Matthew might probably not know Chad.
"I will come with you," she told him. "When is it taking place? She asked him.
"Three days from now," he said then added, "I can't wait," he smiled back.
Then he lean in to kiss her, his face inching close to her. His breath on her face felt so strange. Her stomach tightened in disgust. It felt awkward, the way they shifted from one foot to the other to allow passage. Finally, he had to peck her a goodnight miss on her cheek. When they finally parted ways, Lola felt her skin crawling with disgust.
She was certainly going to have to deal with Joseph till whenever. Somehow, she wished that Matthew was coming to the birthday party. As as the earlier events of the day washed over her, she suddenly wish she could flee from all these.
How could she want a guy that she clearly didn't want, and yet accept one as her boyfriend when she doesn't feel anything for him?
Wasn't her life a rollercoaster?