Have you ever been in love? Have you ever confessed your feelings to that person? Did they accept it?
Because I have. But I couldn't tell if he accepted my feelings or was just toying with me. Let me tell you about the situation I found myself in.
If I recall correctly, It was a Friday afternoon of September. The sky was bathed in hues of pink and yellow, and birds were hurriedly returning to their nests. It was time for our Sports activity, and we were instructed to gather in the school field.
But I wasn't in the mood for running. Probably because my shoes were on the verge of falling apart, and I was worried that any vigorous movement might cause them to break. I couldn't just let go of this shoes because these shoes had sentimental value; they were a gift from my father before he passed away. The thought of losing them was unbearable.
I didn't realize that I was standing in the middle of the field, as my mind wandered into the past, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Suddenly, a distant voice snapped me back to reality. "Hey... Van!" The voice grew louder and clearer until I realized it was my friend calling me. "Come on, hurry up! The teacher is about to arrive, and we need to warm up for the race, remember?"
I hurried over to my friend, who asked, "Why were you even spacing out in the first place? If I remember you like running, you even won a marathon." I didn't have an answer, so he simply told me "forget about it, no mtter wat you do you are still the fastest runner I've met, just start warming up." As I began to stretch, the teacher arrived and announced, "You guys will have a friendly competition against other sections."
While everyone else reacted to the news, I continued to stretch. Soon, the other sections lined up beside us. The noise around me seemed to blur and lower as if I was in my own private space. My eyes scanned the crowd, and then they landed on him. A man who caught my attention, who stirred something within me. My heart pounded as if I was already running, even though the race hadn't started yet.
I couldn't tear my gaze away from him, there's just something to him that I couldn't look away. Suddenly, the teacher called out, "Everyone gather around! I'm going to divide you into six groups, and each group will have four students from different sections."
I've never been the most active person, nor the laziest when it comes to physical activities, but all I know when it comes in running I wouldn't lose. But tgis time winning or losing didn't matter to me, because of the precarious state of my beloved old shoes.
With that in mind, I decided to just go with the flow, to simply enjoy the moment. After all, with my shoes on their last legs, running wasn't really an option.
As we were divided into groups, I found myself lost in thought, staring at my feet. "Perhaps I'll just jog lightly," I mused, "I don't want my shoes to fall apart, and I certainly don't want to trip and fall."
As people began to gather in their groups, I scanned our circle, trying to gauge what our strategy should be. Suddenly, a loud cheer erupted from another group, and a familiar name rang out. I turned to look and there he was, the same guy I saw earlier.
His tall, muscular build was a stark contrast to my own, and I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated. His striking good looks made him appear more like a work of art than a fellow competitor.
As I watched him amidst the bustling activity, my heart pounded wildly in my chest. Suddenly, my initial plan of taking it easy seemed less appealing.
The teacher then call everyone's attention for the sequence of the runners, and It was through the game of rock, papers and scissors. Which each group had their representative and who ever win get to choose the sequence of the groups. I didn't pay much attention to them but all I know my group was the first one to race.
The shrill sound of the whistle lit up a fire in me, indicating my desperate self to empress that guy hy winning the first place. And we all took our positions, waiting for the signal to start. I knelt down, my left knee touching the ground while my right foot was poised for the first big step.
The cheers from the crowd made the moment even more nerve-wracking. All eyes were on my left, where he was basking in his popularity.
The starting gun's blast startled me into action. The runners beside me surged forward, their sights set on victory, leaving me and my worn-out shoes in their wake.
I ran as if my life depended on it, my heart pounding in my chest like a drum. The finish line seemed miles away, but the thought of reaching it kept me going.
I was nearing the finish line when my legs began to feel like lead. My breath was coming in ragged gasps, and my heart was racing as if it was the one participating in the race. I could barely move, but I forced myself to keep going.
Suddenly, my foot caught on my disintegrating shoe, causing me to stumble. But the thought of winning, of catching his attention, of having a conversation with him, spurred me on. I glanced back and saw him following in my tracks.
Just as I was about to take a triumphant step across the finish line, my left foot slipped, and I stumbled, falling hard onto the track. Flushed with embarrassment, I quickly got up and continued running despite the pain in my knee.
My limp slowed me down, and I could hear the crowd cheering on the other runners. The finish line was just a few feet away, the ribbon there teasing me to finish the race.
Despite the pain and embarrassment, I pushed myself to run faster. The adrenaline was pumping, and all I wanted was to finish the race and escape the spotlight.
But then, my leg gave out, and I found myself falling once again, just a few feet from the finish line. I braced myself for the impact, waiting for the harsh contact with the ground.
And instead of the hard track, I found myself landing in something far softer. I was expecting to hit the ground, but instead, I found myself in his arms.
I opened my eyes to see his face close to mine, his arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace. As I looked into his eyes, I realized, "He is the man I want to be with..."
(To be continued….)
{Person who help}
-aka (editor and book cover 3.0)
-"KFC" not the fast-food chain (attempt to make the title)
-H.L (proper title)
-•Blue (book cover)
-alyM (book cover)
-Amhya Haku
-clint (my honey bunch, he told me I was a good boy)