Chapter 95: Hearts In Conflict
334 Words
Maria avoided Daniel for the rest of the day, though it felt like the walls of the school were determined to push them back together. Every corner she turned, every hallway she passed through, there he was—leaning against the lockers, surrounded by admirers, yet always with his gaze finding hers like a magnetic pull.
By the time lunch came, Maria had run out of excuses to dodge him. She sat with Emeka, who tried to distract her with one of his endless jokes, but her focus faltered when Daniel’s shadow stretched across their table.
“Maria,” he said firmly, ignoring Emeka’s raised brows. “Can we talk?”
She hesitated. Her heart thumped unevenly, torn between saying no and giving in to the curiosity gnawing at her. Emeka gave her a mischievous grin. “Go on, Juliet. Romeo awaits.”
Maria shot him a glare, but she stood anyway. Daniel led her outside, where the afternoon sun cast golden streaks across the grass. He didn’t waste time with charm this time. His expression was raw, his tone stripped of playfulness.
“I know you don’t trust me,” he admitted. “And I don’t blame you. But what I said before—I meant it. I’m done with the games. This… with you… it’s different.”
Maria folded her arms, trying to build a barrier out of her own doubts. “You don’t just stop being who you’ve always been, Daniel. You can’t expect me to believe everything has changed overnight.”
He stepped closer, his eyes steady, unflinching. “Then don’t believe my words. Watch what I do. Let me prove it.”
The honesty in his voice rattled her defenses, but the fear of falling deeper kept her still. For a long moment, silence hung between them, filled only by the quiet hum of students in the distance.
And though Maria didn’t reply, the fact that she didn’t walk away said more than either of them dared to admit.
- Writer
