Dilly stared blankly at the ceiling. It has been two weeks since the incident occurred and she had been isolating herself ever since.
Her friends did not bother her because she insisted that she needed to be alone to recharge.
She did not miss the hurt in their eyes the day she told them she would not be hanging out with them for a couple of months.
"Even on graduation?" Ayana had asked blinking back tears.
Mat just stared at the two girls trying so hard to figure out why Dilly would make such a decision out of the blues.
"Does it have anything to do with your neighbor?" He had asked.
She always acted very weird around Ryan and he could not just place it.
He does not know anything about Ryan yet but he seem to have developed little hatred towards him. He was like a threat to their friend group.
Dilly forced a smile shaking her head "no , I just feel mentally drained".
Ayana nodded but Mat didn't believe her . Why would she ask him to call Ryan over and then ask himself and Ayana to excuse them.
"Are they dating?" He thought but dismissed it because if that was the case , she would have spilled.
She literally just met Ryan and she trusts him more than them already ?
He was obviously not having it but he did not argue.
Dilly studied her friends, she had lied to them that Ryan was a doctor. She was worried because Mat didn't seem to buy the lie.
"Please call us as soon as possible, we have our graduation ceremony in a month's time" Ayana was saying but Mat was already on his way out.
"Call me when you need me to be here , maybe when your neighbor isn't available" Mat said slamming the door as he stepped out.
It broke Dilly's heart that she could not tell her friends what she was going through . Nobody would believe her .
Even Mat that knows so much about her weird dreams would not believe her if she eventually told him that those dreams are real.
Ayana took her hands and stroked gently "Mat is just hurt , don't mind him"
Dilly frowned "I know , please help me make him understand. I need this break"
Ayana faked a smile . How could she make Mat understand when she didn't understand Dilly herself.
"Sure baby girl I will" she said instead.
They would not deny their friend a little break if that's all she needs to get back on track.
"We'll text on the group chat from time to time, reply us when you can . No pressure." Ayana said.
Dilly smiled feeling grateful that Ayana understands her at least.
She missed them already though, so much.
The beep from her phone jolted her out of her thoughts. It was a text from her mom.
(Baby, I'll be running late today , is that fine ? I have a date)
Dilly chuckled in spite of herself . Another date ? She wondered who the lucky man was . Her mom had been on countless dates in the past few months. Her mom has a more active love life than her , the thought made her frown but deep down she felt happy for her mom.
She should live and enjoy her life , afterall it's been over a decade and she had refused to remarry.
Her mom had made it clear to her that she was not in any way considering marriage again but she just wants to have fun and live.
(Sure take your time mama , have fun)
She dropped her phone and picked up a book to read. She was not really interested in reading the book but she needed something to distract her from her series of thoughts.
Ryan had assured her that he was going to protect her . He had told her not to worry about Sophia.
In all honesty Dilly feared that Sophia would use the incident against her and put her in harm's way.
"She's not who you think she is, but as long as I'm here , she will not hurt you" he had said.
He didn't say more than that . Just asked her to reach out to him if she was ready to find out the truth. She feared that whatever it is that she was going to find out would be something really huge and she was not ready for anything like that.
She just wants to live a normal life again.
She picked ho her phone relunctantky and dialed Ryan's line.
She was about to end the call when he picked up "hey Princess"
He had been calling her Princess for a while and it made her stomach turn in a way that she didn't understand. She would not admit that it was excitement but she liked the feeling.
"Hi Ryan" she said almost in a whisper.
None of them spoke for what seemed like eternity.
"You there?" Ryan finally broke the silence .
"Yes .. yes … sorry…" she stuttered
"I just wanted to ask if you would have dinner with me" she paused.
"That's fine Princess"
"I'm sorry to bother you , my mom won't be home for dinner that's why….." she was saying.
"It's my greatest pleasure…. I'll bring desert" he grinned from ear to ear.
"Thank you, see you by 8" she smiled into the phone and ended the call.
Ryan's heart skipped a beat , he didn't like the feeling .
It wasn't fear or anything , it was something that he could not describe.
Hearing her voice does that to him all the time. Could he have fallen in love with her?
"No way!" he thought.
He laughed because the grandmaster would have his head in a bowl if he ever got distracted.
Of course he exaggerated but the grandmaster would be so disappointed.
He shook his head and rushed to the bathroom , he would be having dinner with her in less than two hours.
It worried him that she had not yet told him if she was ready to hear the truth or not.
"Princess we don't really have much time" he muttered as the cold water ran through his body.
He prayed silently that she would talk about it over dinner.
He knew this was going to be a difficult journey and he had to protect her with his life .
He thought about his mother , he was not able to save his mother . He would not allow the same mistake repeat itself for the second time.
He owed that to himself and the pure magic realm and to Dilly.
For the first time since he got to earth , he missed home.