CHAPTER SIXTY: I LIKE YOU
"What about you?" I asked as I glanced at Samuel, noticing how much he had grown. He was thirteen now, and every time I looked at him, he seemed more handsome than the last. His ocean-blue eyes had a depth that was almost mesmerizing, and they seemed to sparkle even in the sunlight filtering across the school compound.
And…
"Just normal," he replied with a slight shrug, his voice carrying a new depth that hadn't been there before. Jeez… that was so cute! His voice had matured just enough to sound confident but still gentle.
His dimples had become more pronounced, deeper and more defined, as if he had been practicing smiling for years just for the right moment. Daniel had dimples too, but Samuel's seemed more genuine, less mischievous. Daniel's handsomeness had a hint of trouble hidden in it; Samuel's, on the other hand, radiated a calm charm.
"As if I know… did something bad happen, or are you just bored and want to see me?" I asked, trying not to sound too curious as I turned my attention to a student fetching water from the dispenser upstairs.
"Are you annoyed or something?" Samuel asked, tilting his head slightly, his eyes fixed on me, expecting me to turn to face him.
"Nah, I'm not. How can I be annoyed over something so minor?" I replied, shrugging lightly as I finally turned toward him.
"Yeah!" he said, nodding, but his eyes drifted to a group of students in front of us, laughing and gesturing wildly. After a brief pause, he turned back to me. "You know, you can tell me if I've done something wrong that you don't like. I can change… or apologize."
"Lol! Since when do you suddenly care about that?" I asked, genuinely surprised. His sudden concern was… unusual, yet refreshing.
"Since now," he said simply.
"Just be yourself," I said, smiling faintly.
"You're my friend. I can't lose someone like you," he said, his tone sincere, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that made me pause.
"There's nothing you've done wrong," I reassured him, glancing at the students passing by, trying not to read too much into his stare.
"Really?" he asked, just a hint of hope in his voice.
"Yeah," I said, nodding.
"Thank you for understanding," he whispered, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"I'm finding it hard to adjust to your new behavior, lol!" I added with a laugh, thinking how much he had changed over the past year.
"No worries. You'll get used to it," he responded, smiling as he followed my gaze, watching the students passing by.
"You know, being the only class in school can be so annoying sometimes. No students to send on errands," I remarked, half-teasing.
"As short as you are, you send students on errands, lol!" Samuel said, smiling, turning to face me.
I glanced down at myself. I'm 5'0". Not bad for an eleven-year-old. He was only four or five inches taller than me, but he acted like he was towering over me by a mile.
"Even though, one year is not found in the market," I muttered, shrugging.
"Lol!" he laughed, shaking his head.
"You… you're just inches taller than me," I said, teasing, crossing my arms.
"And it's at least taller than you, isn't it?" he asked with a straight face before breaking into a deep, melodic laugh.
"Whatever!" I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't hide the smile tugging at my lips.
He stopped laughing and studied my face carefully, as though trying to figure out if I was hiding something.
"Do I have something on my face?" I asked, turning to him, trying to brush off his stare.
"No, nothing! I'm just… admiring how beautiful you are," he said softly.
"Lol! Whining," I teased, though my heart skipped a beat at his words.
"Whining? No, I'm not," he insisted, nodding firmly. "Haven't you been told that before?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Yeah, my brother compliments me sometimes, or my friends do," I admitted, shrugging.
"You see!" he said, as if my answer confirmed something he already knew.
"I'm just surprised hearing it from you," I added quietly. When he complimented me, it felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. It was that same feeling you get when your favorite idol notices you or says something nice about you in a dream—it made everything else fade away for a moment.
"It shouldn't be surprising. Maybe I'll say it every time so you get used to hearing it from me," he said with a faint smile.
I laughed softly, shaking my head. "You don't need to."
"I need to," he said, his tone firm, yet gentle.
"You are also handsome," I said, deciding to shift the attention back to him.
"Yeah, I know!" he replied, a hint of pride in his voice.
Urgh! That wasn't the reaction I expected.
"You should have at least said 'thank you'," I said, trying to mask my disappointment.
"Sorry… I'm just… tired of hearing it," he said with a shrug.
"Whahala for those who don't get complimented a lot," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
"No worries, you'll get tired of it when I start saying it every time," he teased, as if reassuring me.
"I don't actually care," I said, crossing my arms but smiling despite myself.
"You're beautiful! You're beautiful! You're beautiful!" he said, deliberately repeating it in a playful, exaggerated tone.
"Thank you! Saying it repeatedly doesn't actually make it true," I shrugged, laughing.
"Yeah, but it's said by different people… repeatedly," he said, grinning.
"Yeah, I know," I said, shaking my head at him.
He smiled again, looking straight at me, making me uncomfortable yet oddly warm inside.
"What?" I asked, shifting slightly.
"I want to ask a particular girl out. What do you think?" he asked, watching me expectantly.
I felt my face droop as his words hit me.
"You can, if you like her," I shrugged, trying to sound casual.
"Yeah, but what if she doesn't?" he asked, a little uncertainty creeping into his voice.
"Who wouldn't like you?" I said lightly.
"Some people, I guess," he replied quietly.
"You can make her like you and date her in senior school," I suggested, trying to offer advice without showing too much curiosity.
"Senior school?" he asked, surprised.
"Yeah, we're almost done with junior school—less than two weeks left," I explained.
"True talk," he said with a sigh, his eyes clouding with a hint of worry.
"Do you really want her?" I asked softly, curiosity finally breaking through.
"Yeah… the thought of another boy wanting her is saddening," he admitted.
"Another boy?" I asked, my heart doing a small flip.
"Yeah… they talk about her in my hostel," he said quietly.
"Do I know the girl?" I asked, trying to mask the sudden tension in my chest.
"Yeah…" he paused, taking a deep breath before turning to look at me with a vulnerability I hadn't seen before. "I like you!"