GCHAPTER 2: ROWING CLOSER
456 Words
Scene 1 – Cafeteria (Morning)
The cafeteria buzzes with noise and laughter. Stella sits alone at a corner table, sipping her tea and scrolling through her phone. Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupts.
> Derick: “Mind if I join you?”
Stella: looking up, smiling “You again? You seem to show up everywhere I go.”
Derick: “Maybe it’s fate.”
Stella: laughs softly “Or just bad timing.”
Derick: “I’ll take either — as long as it means I get to talk to you.”
Narration:
They talked for hours that morning — about school, family, dreams. Derick made her laugh in ways she hadn’t laughed in a long time.
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Scene 2 – Campus Garden (Afternoon)
Derick and Stella walk under blooming trees, carrying their books.
> Derick: “So, what made you choose Literature?”
Stella: “I love stories — the kind that make you feel something real. Maybe because life doesn’t always give us that kind of honesty.”
Derick: “You sound like a poet.”
Stella: “Maybe I am. You?”
Derick: “Business. My dad’s dream, not mine.”
Stella: “So what’s your dream?”
Derick: pauses, then smiles “Still figuring that out… but lately, I’ve been inspired.”
Stella: “By what?”
Derick: “More like who.”
She looks at him, and for the first time, she doesn’t look away.
Narration:
That look — the kind that lingers longer than it should — was the beginning of something neither of them could stop.
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Scene 3 – Library (Evening)
They sit side by side, pretending to study but stealing glances instead.
> Derick: “You’re terrible at hiding your smile, you know.”
Stella: blushing “And you’re terrible at minding your own business.”
Derick: “Maybe your smile is my business now.”
They both laugh softly. The silence between them feels warm, not awkward.
Narration:
Days turned into weeks. Study sessions turned into coffee dates.
And before they even realized it, “just friends” didn’t feel true anymore.
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Scene 4 – Campus Balcony (Night)
The wind is gentle, stars above glowing faintly.
> Stella: “Sometimes I wonder if this is real. You… me.”
Derick: “It’s real, Stella. Every moment with you is.”
Stella: “You sound so sure.”
Derick: “Because for the first time in a long time, I am.”
He holds her hand. She doesn’t pull away.
Narration:
That night, Stella didn’t sleep. She kept replaying his words — the way he looked at her like she was the only one that mattered.
And maybe, just maybe… she was starting to believe it too. 💕
- Writer
