CHAPTER 7 - Need A Hug?
1040 Words
Ameelah went home with a light feeling. This was the first time in her nineteen years of existence that she felt she had truly fallen for a man.
She was already nineteen—maybe, just maybe, her parents would finally allow her to have a boyfriend. But she swallowed hard, remembering her father’s stern warning from before.
“No boyfriend until you graduate from college, Ameelah. Just like your sister and your brother—he didn't even bother to court a woman when he was still studying.” This was her Dad’s command, and Ameelah didn't have the backbone yet to disobey. She had no wings to fly without the help and support of her parents.
She sighed with frustration.
“Darmiel, what will I do with you?” she thought, her mind drifting back to the handsome face she had been dreaming of since yesterday.
After changing her clothes, she flopped onto the soft mattress of her queen-size bed. Suddenly, she heard the beeping of her mobile phone. She grabbed the expensive-looking black shoulder bag she had used on her date with Darmiel and searched for the device inside. Her heart raced as she opened it, already guessing who the sender was.
Her smile widened when she saw the name flashing on the screen. Her guess was right. It was indeed Darmiel.
“My pretty Ameelah, are you home now?” Darmiel’s message read. She playfully replied with just a thumbs-up emoji.
“Good. See you again,” Darmiel replied. This time, Ameelah decided not to respond. It was better not to show how head-over-heels she was for him. A little hard-to-get tactic wouldn't hurt. She smiled mischievously to herself.
Darmiel waited for a reply, but he waited in futility. He furrowed his brows, staring at his phone and the lack of new messages.
He sent another message: “Ameelah, are you still there? Can we see each other again?”
When Ameelah received the latest ping, she giggled, unable to control herself anymore. “Oh, of course. See you again, Darmiel.”
Darmiel’s hand quickly snatched the phone from his bedside table the moment it lit up.
“Yes! Missing you already, Ameelah,” he messaged back.
Ameelah was left breathless. Not wanting him to know just how interested she was, she simply replied that she needed to do something and would message him when she was free.
Darmiel scratched his head as he read her reply. He tilted his head, typing a simple “okay.”
“Hmm, maybe I need to change my style,” he thought, a wide smile creeping across his face.
The next day, Ameelah was awakened by the persistent beeping of her phone. She excitedly reached for it, thinking it was Darmiel. However, her excitement soured when she saw the sender's name. It wasn't Darmiel, but a long-time suitor she had already rejected five times. She felt like throwing her phone out of disappointment.
For the rest of the day and the one after that, Ameelah waited for a call or a text, but nothing came. Had he gotten too busy, or had he forgotten her already? Irritated, she opened their last conversation and re-read her final message.
“Oh, it was my last message that probably kept him from texting,” she realized. Without thinking twice, she typed a quick check-in.
“Darmiel, what’s up?”
“Ey, hello Ameelah. I was just busy. How are you? Did you miss me?” he replied instantly. Ameelah’s smile returned.
She teased back, “So, you wanted me to miss you? Is that why you didn’t remember me for two days?”
“Nope. I’m just a very obedient man to the woman I like. You said you’d message when you were free, so I waited, thinking you didn't want to be disturbed. So, can we see each other this afternoon? Same place?”
Darmiel’s answer put Ameelah in deep contemplation. Should she go or not? In the end, her heart won, and she agreed.
But Darmiel had another request. “Ameelah, can I just fetch you from your house? Please don’t bring your car. I want to pick you up and bring you home after our date.”
Without a second thought, she agreed again.
He arrived exactly at three in the afternoon.
“Ameelah, I changed my mind. Can I bring you to a different place instead?” he asked the moment she was settled in the passenger seat.
She glanced at him, wondering. “Where?”
“I know a restaurant on a hilltop overlooking the ocean. Would you like to see it?”
Intrigued by the description, Ameelah nodded. “Seems like a wonderful place. Let’s go there.”
“Great. You won't regret it. It’s about an hour's drive from here. However, the parking is at the bottom, and we’ll need to climb around fifty stairs to reach the restaurant.”
Ameelah gave him a thumbs-up, and Darmiel started the car, whistling a happy tune.
Although she was a bit breathless after the fifty-step climb, the moment they reached the Hilltop restaurant, Ameelah gasped. It was worth every bit of effort. The place was breathtaking. From the windows, you could see the vast, endless sky meeting the deep blue ocean. The view alone was enough to make anyone feel instantly relaxed.
After a sumptuous seafood meal, they took a walk before heading back to the car. They reached an area where the air was crisp—a perfect mixture of a sea breeze and a mountain chill.
Ameelah suddenly hugged herself as the cold wind bit through her clothes. Darmiel noticed immediately.
“Need a hug?” he whispered near her ear, sending shivers down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold.
Without waiting for an answer, Darmiel pulled her into a back hug, burying his face in the hollow of her neck. They stayed like that for a few minutes, lost in the moment, until he gently turned her around to face him.
They locked eyes, both pairs twinkling under the light. As Darmiel lowered his head, Ameelah closed her eyes, her heartbeat hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird waiting to fly.
- Writer
