After her initial shock, Steph burst into a fit of laughter until she started coughing hysterically. Ivan rushed to her and slowly beat her back until she was okay. He then slowly let go of her and despite the scare she just had, Steph couldn't help but start laughing again.
Ivan thought she had a good hearty laugh and Steph looked at Ivan, expecting him to join her in laughing. Hadn't he just said the funniest thing on earth?
"Oh my goodness! I didn't know you are that funny. You don't come across as one," she said in between hiccups.
Ivan continued staring at her blankly and Steph continued talking.
"Maybe you should do comedy shows. Goodness, is there something you can't do?" Steph asked in a curious tone before realizing that her statement would boost Ivan's already inflated ego.
"What do you think?" Ivan asked in a harsh tone and Steph stopped laughing as she ran her well-manicured nails through her waist length black hair.
"I'm waiting for your answer. Will you be my girlfriend?" Ivan added in a serious tone and Steph's heart beat so fast and loud that she feared Ivan could hear it. Her throat went dry and her mind went blank as all the vocabulary in her mind disappeared.
"W…What? Wait? Are you serious? Are you drunk or something?" Steph managed to ask in a low voice that was barely audible.
"Be my girlfriend," Ivan repeated in a loud and serious tone that sent shivers throughout Steph's body. She felt goosebumps all over her body and wrapped her arms around her body.
"Have ...you lost your mind?" Steph asked, not comprehending what in the world was going on. How was it possible that Ivan, the girls' boy, was asking her out? Little known her. She had barely interacted with the boy even though they were in the drama club together and yet he was asking that she be his girlfriend.
"I'm sorry. I can't make sense of what you're saying. I…I would have assumed you're drunk but you look pretty sober to me. I have to go," Steph said as she hurriedly turned away. The wind blew into the room through the partially opened window and blew her long hair to partly cover her face, making Ivan look at it in admiration. He moved fast to hold her on the hand to stop her from walking away and Steph felt a rush of electricity all over her body and she found herself shutting her eyes to numb that feeling.
"Please," Ivan asked in a pleading tone as he removed the hair from Steph's face. They had eye contact and it felt like they were getting lost in each other's world. Aren't eyes the doors to other people's souls? They were so close to each other they could feel each other's breath. They could hear each other's fast pumping hearts and though they both wanted to get away from each other, they couldn't move.
"What… What of Chloe and Camila? Aren't they your girls?" Steph managed to form the words and ask. Ivan let go of Steph and she felt empty and hollow. What was wrong with her?
"Uh, them… mm…forget about them," Ivan said as he ran one of his hands through his hair. He was biting the fingers of the other hand and Steph could tell that her question had made him uncomfortable.
"Just don't say no to me please. You're my only option," Ivan asked in humility and desperation and Steph realized for the first time that Ivan was desperate.
'Something must have happened. Something that pushed him to the wall and I must be his only option but what could that be?' Steph wondered. She felt an irresistible urge to walk up to Ivan, hold his hands and tell him that everything would be okay yet she also felt it would be wrong to say so when she didn't know what the problem was.
At that very moment, Steph heard loud footsteps approaching and she knew it was Amy. She always thumped the ground as she walked. Before she could move a step further from Ivan, Amy had reached the room. Upon seeing how close Steph and Ivan were and how empty the room was, Amy cleared her throat and with her cheeks pink from blushing and embarrassment, Steph took a started walking away.
"I'll be waiting for your response," Ivan shouted at Steph's receding figure.
As Steph and Amy walked to Amy's car, each was lost in their own thoughts. Steph was hoping against hope that Amy doesn't ask what the hell was going on because she couldn't even answer that question herself.
"Such a long day. I just want to get home and sleep," Steph said as she threw herself on the seat next to Amy. She heard Amy clear her voice and she turned to look at her friend, a plastic smile plastered on her lips.
"What was that about?" Amy asked, her eyes straight on the road.
"Beats me," Steph answered as she shrugged.
"Really Steph! You can do better than that," Amy almost shouted as she stepped on the brakes and the car came to a sudden halt.
"The fuck!" Steph said as she hurriedly adjusted her sitting position, her hands on her chest as though the act could calm down her fast beating heart.
"I know he is good looking and stuff but that's the far it goes. Please for pete's sake don't get involved with him because it won't end well. He is a player and he will do you no good other than break your heart into a million pieces and leave you in the cold," Amy said in a hostile tone and Steph couldn't help but laugh.
"You think I don't know that?" Steph asked in an accusing tone and Amy exhaled deeply and said, "when you were that close to him you seemed to have forgotten that,"
"No one said I was getting involved with him," Steph defended herself and Amy looked at her, cleared her throat and asked why she had been in his embrace and why she had blushed if she really didn't feel anything for Ivan.
"Okay…okay...he asked for my help, I mean that I should be his girlfriend," Steph admitted and in exhaustion, Amy stepped on the brakes and rested her head on the steering wheel, forgetting for a moment that they were on the road.
"What the fuck! Was he serious? This doesn't make any sense," Amy asked in a rush as she lifted up her head to look at Steph who looked like she had just woken up from the dead.
"I know. This is all so confusing. I want to know why he wants me of all the people. Not that something is wrong with me but it just feels off. Something must be wrong somewhere," Steph said with conviction and Amy started the car and drove to the side of the road.
She quickly sent a message to Dylan Brooke, her boyfriend and part of the basketball team where Ivan was also a member. Amy was working on the assumption that he might have heard hearsay about what was up with Ivan.
"Okay, don't worry. We'll find out soon," Amy said in a comforting voice as she started the car and drove to their rented room.