As Ava heard a knock on her door, her thoughts slowly drifted back to the present. She glanced at the wall clock and realized with a start that she was late! The lecture she was supposed to attend with Emma started in 15 minutes, and she was still in her pajamas. She heard a second knock, more insistent this time. She scrambled out of bed and called out, "Just a moment, please!" As she frantically changed into her clothes, she could hear Emma's voice on the other side of the door, sounding concerned. As Ava finally opened the door, Emma stood there with a worried expression on her face. "Are you okay?" she asked. Ava quickly put on a smile, trying to hide her panic. "Of course! I just overslept a bit, but I'm fine," she said, hoping her lie sounded convincing. Emma looked unconvinced, but she didn't press the issue. "Well, let's hurry up and get to class," she said, grabbing Ava's hand and leading her out the door. As they walked to class, Ava couldn't help but feel a knot of anxiety in her stomach. Not only was she late, but she was also dreading the upcoming lecture. She had never been a fan of public speaking, and the thought of possibly standing up in front of the class filled her with dread. "You look tense," Emma said, giving her a worried look. Ava forced a smile. "I'm just a little nervous about the lecture," she admitted. Emma gave her a reassuring squeeze on the arm. "You'll be fine and I can assure you we might end up not having that presentation today. Just take a deep breath and relax." Ava wasn't feeling so good plus the banging ache going on in her head due to staying awake all night thinking of Oliver.As they entered the lecture hall, Ava felt her heart pounding in her chest. She tried to follow Emma's advice and take a deep breath, but it didn't seem As they entered the lecture hall, Ava felt her heart pounding in her chest. She tried to follow Emma's advice and take a deep breath, but it didn't seem to help. She could feel the eyes of the other students on her as she walked to her seat. She sat down, trying to focus on her notes, but her mind was racing. She looked up and saw the professor begin to speak, and she knew she had to push through her nerves. Taking another deep breath, she tried to focus on the words coming out of the professor's mouth. The professor's voice began to fade into the background as Ava's thoughts drifted back to Oliver again!... remembering their first date.
Ava had been wondering all week if she would ever hear from Oliver again. The one text he had sent her after the picnic had left her feeling hopeful, but as the days had passed and there had been no further contact, she was starting to lose hope. But then, on a dreary Friday morning, when she was half-asleep in class, her phone buzzed. She glanced down and saw that it was a text from a number she didn't recognize. She quickly opened the message, and her heart began to race as she read it.
"Hey, Ava! It's Oliver."I've been wanting to reach out, but I didn't want to seem too eager," the message continued. "I know we only met briefly at the picnic last week, but I really enjoyed our conversation. If you're free, I'd love to get together for coffee sometime." Ava's heart was racing, and she could barely believe her eyes. She had spent the past week wondering if she would ever hear from Oliver again, and now here he was, asking to meet up. She tried to play it cool as she typed out a response.
"Hey, Oliver! That sounds great. In a gif her phone biped again, How about 10am at that cafe we talked about?"
Ava felt a rush of excitement and nervousness as she read Oliver's reply. She couldn't believe he had reached out to her like this, and she couldn't help but feel a little giddy at the thought of seeing him again. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and typed out a reply. "That sounds great! I'll see you then. She hit send and let out a sigh of relief. As the lectures was about ending Emma noticed there was something going on with Ava and rushed over to her desk,"Well, hello there!" Emma said with a sly grin, noticing the smile on Ava's face. "You look like the cat that ate the canary. Who's on your screen?" Ava blushed and tried to play it cool. "Oh, it's no one special," she said, waving her hand dismissively. But Emma knew her too well to be fooled. "Come on, spill the beans!" she said, giving Ava a playful nudge. "You can't fool me!" "Okay, fine," Ava relented, unable to keep the secret any longer. "There's this guy I met at the picnic last week. His name is Oliver, and he's really nice. We've been texting a bit, and he asked me to get coffee this weekend." "Ooh, coffee! The universal date drink!" Emma teased. "It sounds like things are going well!" Ava rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile. "We're just friends, Emma," she insisted. "It's not a date." "Whatever you say," Emma said with a wink.....
back to the present
.."Ava?" the professor said, noticing her distraction. "Would you mind answering this question?" Ava's face flushed red as all eyes turned to her. She had no idea what the professor was asking, but she stammered out an answer anyway. "Um, yes, of course. I mean, I think..." Her voice trailed off as she realized she had no idea what the question was. Ava felt like she was going to melt into the floor from embarrassment. "Perhaps you could repeat the question?" the professor said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Of course," Ava said, trying to collect herself. "I just need you to ask it again." The professor smiled. "Certainly. What are the four key components of the US Constitution?" he asked. Ava breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's easy! They are the Preamble, the Articles, the Amendments, and the Bill of Rights," she said, relieved to be back on solid ground. Damn! Ava gave out a sigh of relief, " what's really going on with me" it seemed as though Oliver was the only thing her brain found pleasure in thinking of these days.