"Hi Kwesi," she called as I got closer to the rock she sat on.
"You're late again." She said. But this time, there was no strictness in her voice.
"No, I'm not. It's just 4:01 pm." I replied, having my seat next to her.
"You're still a minute late."
"Nope. I saw you before it was 4:01 pm. So I'm not late."
"You never want to be wrong, do you?" She replied with a small smile.
"Not really. I just... It doesn't matter. Yeah, I'm a minute late." I conceded.
"I'm sorry about last night." She said after a deep sigh.
"I shouldn't have said what I said, even if I did feel disappointed, I don't know your situation or what you've been through, and I just went ahead and judged you without thinking. I'm sorry."
"Well, I did expect you'd be disappointed; I even thought you wouldn't want to talk to me again. Even I was disappointed in myself when I first saw my transcript," I replied without looking her in the eyes. I still don't feel comfortable talking about my grades with her.
"Kwesi look at me,"
Then I turned to face her.
"We're not kids, so I'm not going to beat around the bush. I can tell you have feelings for me, and I feel the same way about you. Ever since that day, you stayed with me through my cramps, you haven't left my thoughts.
"You've turned my world upside down; honestly, having a boyfriend is not something I planned for, but I'm not going to be in denial about my feelings. If we're going to be in a relationship, it's only reasonable that I know everything about you, that's why I asked about your grades. Besides, I might not tell my parents immediately about you, but they'll know eventually and when they do, one of the first questions they'll ask about is your grades. So I have to be able to give them an answer."
"Oh!" I said, surprise resounding in just that exclamation. I was dumbfounded.
"So that's all you're going to say? 'Oh?' I just confessed my feelings and that's all you can say?" I could hear the confidence from earlier leaving her voice.
"Calm down babe. I'm just awestruck. I have nursed these feelings within me since the first day I saw you, but I've always told myself that there's no way you would feel the same about me. Even when I thought there were green lights, I still tell myself that it's all in my head and now you're telling me something I've only heard in my wildest dreams, something I've only imagined. If my response sounds dumb, it's because I'm dumbfounded.
"You've had me captured from the very first day, you haunt my waking moments. It's like you cast a spell on me. That's why even when you emptied your water bottle on me that day in class, I couldn't even get angry."
"You and flowery words. You never fail to be poetic in whatever you're saying." She said with a full smile on her face encouraging me to tell her more 'flowery words'. Her smile contradicted her words, and I couldn't help but smile.
"If you think my words are flowery, well, that's because they're true. So they might sound cliche."
"Hmm hmm?"
"Yeah," I answered.
"Actually, I believe you're telling the truth. I remember the first day we met, you were drooling at me. I was talking to you and you didn't even hear me."
"No way! I wasn't drooling. I was staring, yes, but drooling, absolutely not." I replied defensively.
"Oh! You're in denial now. You just said I had you spellbound." She teased.
With a sigh, I conceded. No matter how I try to defend myself, it doesn't matter, because she's mine.
"Fine. Even if I was supposedly drooling, it makes sense. You were easily the most beautiful girl in the class that day. It was like I'd been in a grey world, and all of a sudden, a rainbow stepped into my world."
She laughed this time, and I was glad for the expression on her face. The street lamps reflected the crinkle in her eyes, and I sighed in contentment. If I died now, I wouldn't have any regrets, but I'd rather not.
"So I was only the most beautiful girl in class that day? How many beautiful girls have you seen after that day?" She's teasing me so easily now. I never thought she could tease. I sometimes thought she was uptight, but now, I'm glad for this moment.
"You know that's impossible," I replied
"Why?"
"It doesn't make sense that I would see other beautiful girls when you're the most beautiful girl in the world. That's impossible." Her giggles made my chest swell.
"Kwesi, you're so full of flatteries." She said as she snuggled closer to me, while I wrapped my arms around her.
"No, I'm not."
"So have you seen all the girls in the world?" She asked.
"I don't need to. You know beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Therefore, no matter the number of girls there are, they pale in comparison to you because, to me, you'll always be the most beautiful girl in the world. I know a lot of guys must have told you the same." I replied.
"Not really. I usually don't give them that chance because I believe it's all lies. I know I am beautiful because I am fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. But when you say it, it sounds different. I feel like you're using your writer's charm on me."
"No, there's no writer's charm here. It's just because I'm speaking with my heart in my vocal cords. Everything I say is from my heart." I said, meaning every word.
With that, a comfortable silence set in, and we stayed there reveling in the moment.
Then I remembered our chat in the afternoon about the decision she was to take.
"Could talking about her feelings for me be the decision she was talking about?" I thought to myself.
"Babe."
"Yeah?" She answered.
"The decision you were talking about this afternoon, it was about telling me your feelings right?" I asked.
"Yeah. I needed to tell you why I asked about your grades, and I didn't want to keep my feelings to myself any longer. So I had to see you to tell you about them. I'm glad it turned out fine."
"Me too,"
While walking her to Queens, I felt on top of the world. Seeing other couples around the shadow areas in Queens holding hands, talking, and smiling had always felt foreign. Now, I understand how they feel, because I feel it too, with my African Queen walking by my side.
After saying our goodbyes, she threw her arms around me, and this time, I wasn't surprised or unsure; I held her for what seemed like an eternity. On my way home, I had the goofiest smile on my face.
"I will sleep well tonight," I thought, happiness blooming in my chest.