CHAPTER 1 : When wishes come true
They say you should never expect your wildest dreams to come true, but when you're sixteen, your wildest dream is usually just a boy. And three years ago—back when we were just teenagers—mine did.
It happened during our church youth group’s annual weekend retreat up in the mountains. For three whole days, I had been completely useless. While everyone else was focusing on the seminars, playing volleyball, or singing worship songs, my eyes were glued together Ayomide.He was the golden boy of our youth group—effortlessly handsome, deeply kind, and possessed a smile that could melt glaciers. I was just the quiet girl who sat three rows back, hopelessly crushing on him from afar, convinced a guy like him didn't even know I existed.
But on our way back home, the universe completely shifted.
A sudden, fierce rainstorm rolled in, forcing our youth group bus to pull over at a small roadside rest stop. In the mad scramble to get inside the diner, Ayomide and I somehow got separated from the crowd. We ended up stranded together under the narrow metal awning outside, watching the downpour.
My heart was beating so hard against my ribs I was terrified he could hear it. I stared at my sneakers, trying to think of something—anything—cool to say.
Suddenly, a hand appeared in my line of sight. Ayomide was holding out a tiny, slightly bruised wild daisy he must have plucked from the grass right before the sky opened up.
"Joke," he whispered. I looked up, shocked to find his beautiful hazel eyes locked onto mine with a vulnerability that took my breath away. "I’ve been trying to find a way to talk to you all weekend. I know I don’t have much to offer a girl like you right now. No money, no car, just a lot of big dreams. But I promise to give you my whole heart. Will you give me a chance and be my girlfriend?"
Boom. Just like that, my ultimate wish had come true. I had cried tears of pure joy, thrown my arms around his neck, and happily said yes right there in the rain.
For the next three month, Ayomide proved to be everything he promised and more. Our teenage romance grew into a deep, beautiful love.
When he was struggling to find his footing in his career, I gladly supported him, whispering that he was doing all of this to build a future for us
He loved me out loud, fiercely and without reservation. He made me feel like the most cherished lady in the entire world.
