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Chapter 4 - chapter three

The approach

James's sister looked at him with a kind and sympathetic expression. She could tell that he was really struggling with his feelings for Lucy, and she wanted to help him figure things out. James," she said gently, "it's clear that you really care about this girl. But you're worried about saying the wrong thing, or doing something to mess things up. Is that right?"

"It's natural to be nervous," she continued, "but you should know that the only way to find out how she feels is to be honest with her. You don't have to spill your heart out to her right away. But it's important to at least let her know that you're interested in getting to know her better. Do you think you could do that?" James thought for a moment, then nodded. "I think so," he said quietly. "But what if she doesn't feel the same way?" His sister smiled reassuringly. If she doesn't feel the same way," she said, "that's okay too. It might be disappointing, but it's not the end of the world. There will be other girls who you'll be interested in, and who will be interested in you. But the only way to find out if she feels the same way as you is to take a chance and talk to her. Are you ready to do that?"

James took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes," he said, his voice stronger this time. I'm ready to talk to her. I just hope that I don't say the wrong thing and mess it all up. His sister reached out and squeezed his hand. You won't mess it up," she said firmly. Just be yourself, and be honest. She'll appreciate that more than anything else. James nodded again, and felt a little more confident. "Okay," he said.

His sister smiled at him. Now, what do you think you should say to her?" James thought for a moment, then said, "I think I'll just say that I really enjoyed talking to her at the library and that I'd like to get to know her better." His sister beamed at him. "That's perfect!" she said. "Just say it like that, and I'm sure she'll appreciate your honesty. " James nodded and took another deep breath. "Okay," he said, "I can do this.smiling…

With a newfound sense of confidence, James headed to the library the next day. He took a deep breath as he approached the door, then pushed it open. He scanned the room and spotted Lucy sitting at one of the tables, reading a book. His heart started to pound in his chest. But he took another deep breath and walked over to her table. "Hi," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. Mind if I sit here?" Lucy looked up from her book and smiled. "Of course not," she said. "

James sat down across from her, and his palms started to sweat. But he looked into her eyes and said, "I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed talking to you at the library the last time we were together . " Lucy's smile widened. "I enjoyed talking to you too," she said. "You're a really interesting person. " James felt his confidence growing. "Thanks," he said. "I was wondering if maybe we could get together sometime and talk more? "

Lucy's smile faltered a bit. "I'm sorry," she said, "but I can't. " James felt his stomach drop. "Oh," he said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "I understand. " Lucy's expression softened. "It's not that I don't want to," she said. "It's just that I'm really busy with school and work. " "That's okay," James said, trying to sound upbeat. "Maybe another time. ""I'd like that," Lucy said. "But in the meantime, how about we just keep talking when we see each other in the library? " "I'd like that," James said, feeling a bit relieved. "Maybe we can talk about the books we're reading. "That would be great," Lucy said. "I'd love to hear your thoughts on the books you're reading. " James smiled. "Me too," he said. "I really enjoy talking to you about books. " Lucy blushed a bit. "Thanks," she said. "It's nice to talk to someone who loves books as much as I do. " James nodded. "It's definitely nice to have someone to share that with. " There was a comfortable silence for a moment. Then, Lucy said, "So, what are you reading right now?" "I'm reading 'The Great Gatsby'," James said. "I've heard that's a great book. " "It's amazing," he said. "The characters are so complex and well-written. "You guys are like the book nerds of the group," Abby said with a grin. "I'll take that as a compliment," James said, laughing. "Me too," Lucy said. "We should start a book club," Abby said. "That could be fun!" Emma said. "Yeah, that would be awesome," James said. "We could meet here at the library every week and talk about the books we're reading." "I like that idea," Lucy said. After some discussion, they decided that the book club would meet every Tuesday afternoon at the library. Emma volunteered to keep track of the books everyone was reading, and James offered to bring snacks. Everyone was excited to get started. "I can't wait for our first meeting!" Emma said. "Me too!" Abby said. "Same here!" James said. Lucy just smiled, happy to have made some new friends. "We should probably get going," Emma said. "Yeah, we've got class soon," Abby said. "See you guys later," Lucy said. "See you!" James said. The three of them left the library, leaving Lucy and James alone again. There was another moment of silence. Then, James turned to Lucy. "So, what do you want to talk about now?" he asked. Lucy thought for a moment. "How about movies?"she suggested. "That sounds great!" James said. They spent the next hour talking about their favorite movies and sharing recommendations. They discussed everything from comedies to dramas to thrillers. They even got into a heated debate about the merits of superhero movies. They laughed and argued and had a great time. Eventually, they realized that they had to get going. "It was great talking to you," James said. "It was great talking to you too," Lucy said. "We should do this again sometime." "Definitely!" James said. And with that, they went their separate ways. But even as they left the library, they both felt a sense of connection and friendship that they hadn't felt before. It was as if they had found a kindred spirit in each other. They both knew that this was just the beginning of a beautiful friendship. A few days later, James was walking to class when he ran into Lucy in the hallway. "Hey, Lucy!" he said. "Hi, James!" she said, smiling. "How are you doing?" "I'm doing great," he said. "I've been thinking about what we talked about in the library. You know, about movies and stuff. " "Oh, yeah, that was fun!" Lucy said. "It was!" James said. "So, I've been thinking," James said, "and I had an idea. What if we started a movie club? You know, where we could get together and watch movies and talk about them? " "That sounds awesome!" Lucy said. "I'd love to do that. "Great!" James said, feeling a rush of excitement. "Let's make a plan. " "I'm free on Fridays," Lucy said. "How about we do it then?" "Perfect!" "We can meet in the library," James suggested. "That way we'll have access to all the movies we want to watch. " "That's a great idea!" Lucy said. "We can even bring snacks." "That sounds like a plan!" James said, grinning. "Let's make it official!" "I think we just did," Lucy said, laughing. "I guess we did," James said, laughing along with her. The next Friday, James and Lucy met in the library, just like they had planned. "So, what movie should we watch?" James asked. "How about 'The Princess Bride'?" Lucy suggested. "That's a classic!"James said. "I agree!" Lucy said, smiling. "It's one of my favorites." They settled in with their snacks and pressed play on the movie. As they watched, they laughed and made comments and discussed the movie. By the end of the movie, they were both laughing and smiling. "That was so much fun!" Lucy said. "It really was," James said. "We should do this again!" "Definitely!" Lucy said. "We could make it a weekly thing." "I like the sound of that," James said. "We can even invite other people to join us, if they want." "That's a great idea!" Lucy said. Over the next few weeks, their movie club grew. Other students heard about it and joined in, bringing their own snacks and favorite movies to share. It became a popular social event, and everyone looked forward to Friday afternoons. James and Lucy got to know each other better, and their friendship grew. They found that they had a lot in common, and they loved spending time together. Eventually, they even started hanging out outside of the movie club, going to the park or the mall or just walking around campus.