Grandpa had brought up the idea of a marriage alliance with the Hendersons on the 8th.
The timing was just too coincidental.
Seeing my distracted look, Sarah nudged my arm. “What’s wrong? What are you thinking about?”
“Sarah,” I hesitated, then asked in disbelief, “Are you saying Davis liked me for a while and asked you for information about
me?th
“What else could it be? Do you think he just randomly decided to ask about you for no reason?”
The whole day, my heart wouldn’t stop racing.
I couldn’t help but think back to what Davis had admitted in the car a few days ago–that he liked someone.
My emotions were in turmoil: surprise, confusion, disbelief, and even… a tiny spark of happiness.
Happiness that my future husband liked me so much.
That night, I tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
Just past midnight, a message popped up on my phone.
Davis:“Can’t sleep?”
I sat up immediately and typed back quickly. “How did you know?”
Davis: “Your activity log shows you’re still walking around. Every few minutes, you add a couple of steps. Clearly, you’re still on
your phone.”
Davis.”
Feeling uncertain, I decided to tread carefully. “How exactly did we meet?”
The Henderson and Jefferson families were old family friends, but as I’d learned from my mom, our relationship had faded over the generations. By now, any interaction was limited to exchanging gifts during holidays.
As far as I could remember, I’d never met Davis.
+15 BONUS
The chat showed that he was typing, but no message appeared.
A while later, even the typing indicator disappeared. His name alone stared back at me on the screen.
Had he fallen asleep?
I was about to set my phone down when an incoming call lit up my screen.
It was him.
My heart skipped a beat as I answered. Before I could say anything, his deep, calm voice came through. “Hannah, don’t speak yet.”
On his end, there was only silence for a long while. So long, in fact, that if it weren’t for the sound of his breathing, I would’ve thought he’d fallen asleep.
The longer we stayed on the line, the calmer I felt, as if his quiet presence smoothed out my restless thoughts. Sleepiness started to creep in.
I had just laid my head back on the pillow when his voice broke the silence. “In middle school, during the first semester of eighth grade, you gave me a candied apple outside the school gates.”
That woke me up a little. I tried to search through hazy memories of my middle school days. The details were faint.
“That day, I had an argument with my grandpa,” he continued. “He left me at the school entrance.”
He let out a light chuckle. “You walked by and thought I was upset. You handed me your candied apple, looking so reluctant to part with it. Does it ring a bell?”
Now I remembered! The scene replayed vividly in my mind, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Reluctant? It was just a candied apple! Don’t make me sound stingy.”
“Yes, yes, you’re the most generous,” he teased softly, his voice full of warmth.
The tone between us shifted, growing more intimate. My heart was pounding in my chest, but he kept his tone steady, neither rushing nor retreating. “It’s late. Get some sleep.”
“Hannah, I’ll pick you up tomorrow.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow.”
I held onto the phone, realizing he was waiting for me to hang up first. I couldn’t help but laugh.
He sighed, exasperated yet indulgent. “Still not sleepy?”
“Going to sleep now,” I said, wrapping myself snugly in the blanket.
After a long moment, I whispered earnestly, “Davis, I heard you like me.”
