No backing Out
761 Words
I hesitated for a second.
Just one.
Then, before I could overthink it, I reached out and took the card from his hand.
“…Okay,” I said quietly.
The word felt heavier than it should.
David’s gaze didn’t waver—not even for a second—as if he’d been expecting that answer all along. A slow, satisfied smile curved on his lips, subtle but unmistakable.
“Good,” he murmured.
His fingers lingered for the briefest moment as the card passed between us—barely a touch, but enough to send an unexpected jolt through me.
I pulled my hand back quickly, clutching the card like it suddenly meant more than just an invitation.
“I’ll… see you then,” I added, my voice softer now, almost unsure.
David tilted his head slightly, studying me again—like he was memorizing something.
“You will,” he said, calm and certain.
No doubt. No hesitation.
Somewhere behind me, my friends burst into quiet, excited whispers, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn around just yet.
“Try not to disappear on me,” he added, a hint of amusement returning to his tone. “I’d hate to think you were only brave for a dare.”
I let out a small, nervous laugh.
“I won’t.”
Another pause.
Then, finally, I stepped back.
One step.
Then another.
Breaking whatever invisible pull was keeping me there.
But even as I turned and walked back toward my friends, I could feel it—
His eyes still on me.
And when I glanced down at the card in my hand…
I had the strange feeling this wasn’t just dinner.
It was the beginning of something I wasn’t ready for.
“Hey! What did you two talk about?” one of them rushed over the moment I got back, eyes wide with excitement.
“Yeah,” another chimed in, grinning. “That’s him, you know. The rich kid of our batch. And you called him sir?”
I groaned, immediately slapping his shoulder.
“Shut up!” I hissed, my face heating up again. “I panicked, okay?”
They burst into laughter.
“You panicked and decided to hug him?”
“That’s not even panic, that’s suicide,” someone added dramatically.
“I hate all of you,” I muttered, covering my face for a second. “It was a dare!”
“Oooh, a dare,” they teased in unison.
One of them leaned closer, lowering their voice. “So… what did he say?”
I hesitated.
Just for a moment.
“…Nothing much,” I lied, a little too quickly. “He just… went along with it.”
They narrowed their eyes at me, clearly not convinced.
“Uh-huh. And?”
I bit my lip, fingers tightening slightly around the card still in my hand.
“He asked me to dinner.”
Silence.
Then—
“WHAT?!”
Heads turned from nearby tables as my friends exploded all at once.
“With him?!”
“Are you serious?!”
“You’re going, right?!”
“I—I don’t know!” I stammered, even though I already said yes.
They stared at me like I’d just signed my life away.
“Well,” one of them said slowly, “you either just got the most interesting date of your life…”
“…or the most dangerous one,” another finished.
I forced a laugh, but it didn’t quite come out right.
After that, the night blurred into stories, drinks, and old memories. Laughter came easier, but every now and then, I’d feel it again—that pull back to him.
To that moment.
To the card still in my hand.
An hour later, I finally said my goodbyes and headed home.
The night air was cooler now, quieter.
And for the first time since the reunion started, I was alone.
I pulled the card out, staring at it under the streetlight.
Simple.
Clean.
His name.
Tomorrow night.
My chest tightened slightly.
“…What did I just agree to?” I whispered to myself.
But deep down—
I already knew I wasn’t backing out.
“I need to do this. V never backs out of anything,” I muttered, burying my face into the pillow.
A pause.
“…But maybe I should,” I groaned, my voice muffled. “He’s too rich. My savings are about to disappear.”
I stayed like that for a few seconds, suffocating in my own thoughts.
“…No. No backing out.”
- Writer
