Crystal

chapter 19

Crystal was still in her new routine. She still wanted to avoid her father several times.

That morning, she also went to campus early. She didn't have a class that morning, but she had an appointment. She would meet with Ricky that morning. They were chatting on a message app the night before and he wanted to talk with her directly, so she suggested meeting that morning.

It was like the morning before. She also went to the park. She became familiar with the bench in the park on her campus. She also enjoyed the fresh morning air on that day.

"Crystal..." A young guy's voice made Crystal open her eyes and turned her head to see the voice's owner. It was Ricky's voice. He was standing beside the bench.

It was the first time she had met Ricky. She scanned him. A man with a thin beard in a square-pattern shirt. She noticed him as a masculine and nice guy. She thought that he was better in reality than in his profile picture. She thought that there was nothing wrong with him if he became her boyfriend.

"Oh.. Ricky..." She shifted her but to give him a space to sit on the bench.

"Um..." He mumbled after sitting on the bench for a while, his heart was beating so fast. He didn't know how to start the conversation and she felt it.

Crystal only shut up her mouth, giving him space to get his words.

"I.. Um.. I'm sure you know why I want to meet you. I like you." He didn't want to be wordy.

"I want you to be my girlfriend." He was to the point. He said while staring at her. He really wanted Crystal to be his.

"Thanks for your feelings, but... I need to focus on my studies for this time. I need a good grade to keep my scholarship. So... sorry..." She felt bad to reject his feelings, but she told the truth.

Ricky was nodding his head while looking at his shoes. Of course, he was sad because of her rejection, but he couldn't force her with his feelings. He didn't regret telling her about his feelings. At least he knew the reason why she rejected him and it answered his big question why he so easily fell in with her. He knew she was not an ordinary girl that he could meet at that university.

"If you don't mind, we can be friends." She suggested to him. Actually, she didn't want to break a nice guy's heart.

"But I want you to be my girlfriend." He didn't want a girl to be his friend. It was not his style. All of his friends were men. He didn't want to be trapped in a friend-zone.

Crystal smiled at him while nodding her head. She got his meaning and she wanted to respect it. She couldn't be greedy, wanting a masculine guy who she just rejected to be her friend.

"Thanks for your time." He was smiling at her. He appreciated her honesty and let him meet her even though he got rejected.

"No, I should be thankful for your feelings." She was smiling back at him and at that time a pair of young guy's eyes were looking at them jealously.

They were Christian's eyes. He had a class that morning and he saw her sitting on the bench with Ricky beside her. It made him more sure that her name was Crystal.

Henry was walking beside him through the hallway while talking to him, but no response from him. Henry turned his head to find out what Christian was seeing with his sharp eyes. He saw Ricky with a girl sitting on the bench. He remembered that Grace had told him if Ricky wanted her help and he had never seen that girl before. It made him think that maybe she was Crystal, Grace's friend.

He turned his head to see Christian again and Christian was still looking at them. Henry felt that something suspicious was happening but he was not sure yet.

Christian was not focused on a long lecture. He was busy with his mind. For a few days recently, he wanted to know about his crush and always wanted to see her again and again. He saw her that morning, but there was Ricky beside her and she smiled happily. He was afraid that they were a couple. He thought that he was late. He tapped his pen on a pepper. He totally lost his focus until the class ended.

"Crystal!" Henry mentioned Christian's crush. He looked at the window, pretended that he saw someone on the outside.

Christian woke up from his daydream when he heard his crush's name. He turned his face to Henry and then he looked at the window to see what Henry was looking at, but he found nothing. It was only an empty window, no one on the outside. He turned his head to look back at Henry. Henry was sucking his smile while getting up.

"Sorry, Grace's waiting for me." He said while escaping from Christian.

"Huff..." Christian exhaled, and a second later he noticed that Henry knew what was happening to him. He got up to chase Henry. He didn't want Henry to tell Grace and would make it a rumor.