When Hate Writes Back
Chapter 19 - Close Enough to Fall
The first lunch date wasn't awkward - at least, not entirely.
Keifer leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, smirking like he knew exactly how nervous I was. And maybe he did.
"You're quiet," he said, teasing. "Usually you'd be rolling your eyes or shooting me daggers."
I blushed, twisting my napkin in my hands. "Maybe I'm... reconsidering my opinion of you."
He tilted his head, amused. "Reconsidering, huh? That's... progress."
I scowled, trying not to smile. "Don't get cocky."
"I'm already cocky," he said, grinning. "This is just me enjoying the fact that you're flustered."
Even as he teased, I felt a warmth spread through me. The boy I had hated, the one I'd feared I'd never understand, was here - offline, real, tangible. And he was mine, in a way that made my heart ache and flutter all at once.
We talked about everything - school, favorite movies, little random things that made us laugh. Every so often, I caught him glancing at me in that same way he had in class, and my stomach flipped.
Then he reached over, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear with casual confidence. My heart skipped a beat.
"Jay," he said softly, leaning closer, "I don't just want the online version. I want all of you. Here. Now. Everything."
I swallowed hard, my lips trembling. "I... I want that too."
A grin spread across his face, genuine, full of warmth. He leaned closer, and I closed the tiny distance between us, feeling the heat, the electricity, the spark that had been building for years finally ignite.
"You know," he whispered, just before our first kiss, "I've been waiting a long time for this."
I laughed softly, breathless. "So have I."
And just like that, the worlds collided completely. The boy I hated, the boy I loved online, the boy I was learning to love offline... all in one.
The teasing, the sparks, the long-awaited connection - it was all real now.
Oblivious? No. Completely aware. And completely mine.